Astronomy Picture of the Day

NASA ^ | 7/31/09 | NASA, ESA, H. Hammel

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Hubble View: Jupiter Impact
Credit: NASA, ESA, H. Hammel (Space Science Institute, Boulder, Co.), and the Jupiter Impact Team

Explanation: This sprawling dark marking is Jupiter's latest impact scar, a debris plume created as a small asteroid or comet disintegrated after plunging into the gas giant's atmosphere. Located in Jupiter's south polar region, the new feature was discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley on July 19. On July 23rd Wesley's discovery was followed up by the Hubble Space Telescope with its newly installed Wide Field Camera 3, creating this sharpest view of the evolving debris plume. Estimates indicate that the impacting object itself was several hundred meters across. Similar impact markings were created when pieces of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 slammed into Jupiter's cloud bands in July of 1994.

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[Thrownatbirth]

Here’s the audio portion: “Thump!”

[thefactor]

what would a similar object do to earth? would land or water impact make a difference? crazy stuff.

[TheOldLady]

Thanks to Jupiter for taking another one for the team.

[null and void]

It's about the same size class as the bolide that formed Berringer crater. That's a one mile wide hundreds of feet deep crater. No survivors within, say 100 miles, damage out 1,000 miles or so.

Water strike? Depends.

Very deep water, tsunamis all 'round, saltwater rainstorms for a few hundred miles.

Shallow water? Worst of both worlds. All the impact damage of a land strike, plus all the tsunami damage of a deep water strike. AND as a special bonus, when sea water attempts to flood back into the white hot crater the surrounding thousand miles gets steam cleaned down to bedrock. The rest of the planet gets very hot and humid, and it rains salt water globally...