Hubble Space Telescope Captures Rare Jupiter Collision

NASA | 06.03.10

[jmcenanly]

Without warning, a mystery object struck Jupiter on July 19, 2009, leaving a dark bruise the size of the Pacific Ocean. The spot first caught the eye of an amateur astronomer in Australia, and soon, observatories around the world, including NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, were zeroing in on the unexpected blemish.

Astronomers had witnessed this kind of cosmic event before. Similar scars had been left behind during the course of a week in July 1994, when more than 20 pieces of Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) plunged into Jupiter’s atmosphere. The 2009 impact occurred during the same week, 15 years later.

Astronomers who compared Hubble images of both collisions say the culprit may have been an asteroid about 1,600 feet (500 meters) wide. The images, therefore, may show for the first time the immediate aftermath of an asteroid, rather than a comet, striking another planet.

[jmcenanly]

I'm surprised the Obama regime isn't blaming this on the previous administration, although it does show that there are worse things than oil spills

[Former MSM Viewer]

A scar the size of the Pacific Ocean?

Glad that asteroid didnt hit us here...

[11th Commandment]

Yup, Thank God we have Jupiter that is so big that it attracts all those comet and asteroids that otherwise would head to earth...

[Las Vegas Dave]

Pinging..

[Vaquero]

Yup, Thank God we have Jupiter that is so big that it attracts all those comet and asteroids that otherwise would head to earth...

yeah until it perturbs a big old asteroid out of the belt, and it makes its slow but steady progress into the inner solar system....Think Chicxulub.

[Las Vegas Dave]

FYI: This is old news posted multiple times in July 2009...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/search?SX=4c0b89f25c95599da163d6c39f417322dbc595bd;m=all;o=time;q=deep;s=jupiter;t=-1;x=20

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

First, I am also glad.

Second, our atmosphere would do a much better job of skipping off a low trajectory strike, or may reduce the object by burning it up & breaking it up as it falls through the atmosphere. Obviously, a massive meteor would be substantial even after burning up a bit in the atmosphere, so I am with you. Glad it didn’t hit us.

Still, it is nice to know we are a much smaller target than Jupiter with a bit more armor plating around us.

[dcgst4]

I think it was Obutthead’s admin warning Jupiter not to think that it’s the big cheese in the Solar System. That title belongs to BO!!!

[ETL]

FYI: This is old news posted multiple times in July 2009...

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/jupiter-hubble.html

You're right. It's dated July 2009. However, there was a very recent impact event on Jupiter (June 3, 2010) which at least one *amateur* astronomer captured images of. I don't know if any professional scopes caught it or not as well.

From June ***2010***...

Huge fireball slams into Jupiter, impact caught on video [June 3, 2010]:

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0605/Huge-fireball-slams-into-Jupiter-impact-caught-on-video

[Izzy Dunne]

Second, our atmosphere would do a much better job of skipping off a low trajectory strike, or may reduce the object by burning it up & breaking it up as it falls through the atmosphere.

Why is our atmosphere any better at this than Jupiter's? There's way more atmosphere there than here.

Still, it is nice to know we are a much smaller target than Jupiter with a bit more armor plating around us.

Smaller target, yes.

"armor plating"? I have no idea what you're thinking, but the image you see is the top of Jupiter's atmosphere, not it's surface. That's why the "bruise" disappears after a month or two.

[Gen.Blather]

It was a breakaway chunk from Obama’s ego.

[UglyinLA]

When notified of the event, Helen Thomas, esteemed liberal press queen remarked, “Who in the hell named JEW-piter after a bunch of kikes?!?!”

[Politically Correct]

I think that the headline writer needs to rethink something. We've now seen three of these, so the word "rare" seems inappropriate.

If this is any indication of how much stuff is out there then we might want to get serious about looking for them and developing a plan to divert the larger ones.

[joelt]

Where is the “spot?”

[calex59]

This is not old news, a new strike just happened.

[SunkenCiv]

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[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

My mistake. I very ignorantly assumed that Jupiter’s atmosphere was not as dense, high or active as that of the earth. Thanks for your post, I did a little research and I know better. By armor, I was facetiously meant what little contribution our atmosphere does make in either skipping off shallow glancing blows from meteors, or burning them up somewhat as they plunge through the atmosphere. I did not think Jupiter’s atmosphere was as effective.