Jupiter got served...again

[mrmouth]

Scar is the size of the Pacific Ocean...or the Earth as a whole, depending on who you ask

July 20, 2009-

Scientists have found evidence that another object has bombarded Jupiter, exactly 15 years after the first impacts by the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.

Following up on a tip by an amateur astronomer, Anthony Wesley of Australia, that a new dark "scar" had suddenly appeared on Jupiter, this morning between 3 and 9 a.m. PDT (6 a.m. and noon EDT) scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., using NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility at the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, gathered evidence indicating an impact.

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/200...rk-on-jupiter/

[Kamos]

Man Jupiter just gets one kick in the balls after the next.

[nopasties]

Nice telescope for an amateur

[Nazgûl Killer]

Wait, if it happened 15 years ago, why do we only see it now? Is Jupiter really 15 light years away? (Sorry about my ignorance)

[pannonian]

Wait, if it happened 15 years ago, why do we only see it now? Is Jupiter really 15 light years away? (Sorry about my ignorance)

The apparent impact comes almost exactly 15 years after a comet named Shoemaker-Levy 9 struck Jupiter, “sending up blazing fireballs and churning the Jovian atmosphere into dark storms, one of them as large as Earth,” as The New York Times reported on July 19, 1994.

These are two separate incidents. The one 15 years ago was better known, as astronomers had been following the course of the comet, and knew it was going to hit Jupiter. This latest one was only known after the event, when someone found the aftermath.

[Keravnos]

Wait, if it happened 15 years ago, why do we only see it now? Is Jupiter really 15 light years away? (Sorry about my ignorance)

Np, Nazgûl Killer (great nick btw). The comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacted 15 years ago and it was all over the news, with all the comets falling on Jupiter. This new observation of Jupiter is from the present. We don't know when it was created (or how), but it is there, probably waiting to be discoverd by a dedicated astronomer. Even if he was just an amateur, that doesn't diminish one bit the value of his discovery. Good for him, I say and also for the rest of us.

Jupiter, isn't 15 light years away, it isn't even 1 light year away. It's much less, 43.3 Light Minutes and even if we have 43.3 minutes delay when observing the biggest planet of our Solar system, it's there.

Nearest star, Proxima Centauri is 4.3 Light Years away. (LY for short)

Now, I am not really surprised from this find, as I was reading the other day on an Astronomy mag. that there are certain corridors inherent in our solar system, related to Lagrange points in each planet. Once in those corridors, the movement, albeit slow, is essentially energy free, meaning you don't need all that much energy to go around. It seems that this is somehow used by the comets, and a great many of them wind up falling in Jupiter. It's as if planet Jupiter carries a big "SHOOT ME!" sign. That's great for three reasons.

1) Each comet fallin on Jupiter is one less we need to worry about.
2) It does make for some excellent pictures (see Shoemaker-Levy 9)
3) Hopefully we can use it to get around in the Solar system some day.


a pic:

http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/...et+Impact+Team

[Helm]

Wait, if it happened 15 years ago, why do we only see it now? Is Jupiter really 15 light years away? (Sorry about my ignorance)

More like 15 light minutes away. I'm guessing they just weren't looking hard enough.

[Helm]

Better to have that kind of thing hitting Jupiter than Earth really.

[DisgruntledGoat]

You know what the scary thing is about something like that. No body saw it. We're talking about an object which would have obliterated Earth and no one saw it. Thankfully Jupiter is around to suck up these sized objects, but it just points out how easily a smaller object, capable of destroying all life on earth, could easily sneak past our observations and collide with our planet.

Then again, theres likely nothing we could do even if we found it early. So maybe its better NOT to know the day you'll die.

[chilon]

You know what the scary thing is about something like that. No body saw it. We're talking about an object which would have obliterated Earth and no one saw it. Thankfully Jupiter is around to suck up these sized objects, but it just points out how easily a smaller object, capable of destroying all life on earth, could easily sneak past our observations and collide with our planet.

Then again, theres likely nothing we could do even if we found it early. So maybe its better NOT to know the day you'll die.

Humanity's greatest mistake during the Space Race era and following is not focusing enough scientific resources towards initiating a solution to another great impact event.

[Baron von Sky Hat]

What's more scary is that it's barely a scratch on Jupiter as a whole.

Now, I am not really surprised from this find, as I was reading the other day on an Astronomy mag. that there are certain corridors inherent in our solar system, related to Lagrange points in each planet. Once in those corridors, the movement, albeit slow, is essentially energy free, meaning you don't need all that much energy to go around. It seems that this is somehow used by the comets, and a great many of them wind up falling in Jupiter. It's as if planet Jupiter carries a big "SHOOT ME!" sign. That's great for three reasons.

Indeed, absolutely. Jupiter has `mopped up' an incredible number of asteroids, both through collisions and through `sheparding' them. At Jupiters L4 and L5 lagrange points there are two large collections of asteroids (called `the Trojans and the Greeks' for the specific groups, but collectively the whole lot is typically referred to as the Trojans).

Lagrange points are sort of short cuts in the way you describe, depending on the circumstances. They're the points where gravity between two objects `balances out' to form a flat point in the gravitational potential. For example to `L1' legrange point is between the two objects, where each object would be pulling something at that point the same amount in both directions, so it remains stable. That means that, depending on circumstance, they can act as nice intermediary points to travel between objects. Also they are useful in and of themselves, it can let an object be on an orbit which, if only one object were considered, would usually be impossible.

For instance, one of Earths legrange points with the sun has been used to put the `SOHO' satellite which observes the sun. This places it closer to the sun than if it was in earth orbit, and means that the earth can't `get in the way' of observations. Normally an orbit closer to the sun than the earth would also go around faster, meaning it would change distance from us, but the L1 point causes it to be `dragged' back to the same angular velocity as the Earth. SOHO isn't actually stationary within the L1 point though, it orbits around it.

It's not surprising that we didn't catch it when it happened. As one astrophysicist who works on `Near Earth Objects' I think has said `There's a lot of sky to monitor'.....
I think that we've established the orbital parameters of something around 6,000 objects that cross Earths orbit. But who knows how many we're missing, especially those objects which are on very highly eccentric (elliptical) orbits, since they're in the area of our orbit for less time, and we're less likely to catch them when they're further away.

[Roloc]

You know what is ignorant. The local news in Costa Rica said an Earth-sized object impacted Jupiter

[Phier]

Ah, this explains the following anecdote.

I was flipping through radio stations yesterday and stopped at a religious one. They were talking about impacts on Jupiter and I was surprised as its been so long since the comet hit it. The funny thing was after a valid scientific discussion on the whole concept, they went on to say that rather than be worried about the possibility of instant destruction from a impact we should be hopeful as obviously Jupiter is part of gods plan to shield the earth from such things.

Sadly the person asking the 'scientist' the question never asked why god included such potential projectiles in the first place.

[Markas]

Jupiter is the beaten housewife of the husband that is the Solar System. Sure, she put on weight after giving birth but there's never an excuse for interplanetary violence.

[Harry Lime]

You know what is ignorant. The local news in Costa Rica said an Earth-sized object impacted Jupiter

That would be quite the cosmic cataclysm.

Jupiter is the beaten housewife of the husband that is the Solar System. Sure, she put on weight after giving birth but there's never an excuse for interplanetary violence.

Indeed. Jupiter's gravitational pull attracts solar system 'debris' in much the same way Billy Bunter attracted chocolate biscuits & cake.

[Helm]

Jupiter could probably take something the size of the Earth hitting it.



Yeah that could go in there. Perhaps Jupiter wouldn't enjoy it that much. A cosmic disaster would be more something the size of Uranus going into it.

[Phier]

Jupiter could probably take something the size of the Earth hitting it.



Yeah that could go in there. Perhaps Jupiter wouldn't enjoy it that much. A cosmic disaster would be more something the size of Uranus going into it.

I do hope the sexual innuendos were intended because they are very good.

[Godfrey I of Leuven]

Earth is still pretty big.. I wouldn't like to witness such an event. Then again.. Maybe I would

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

We could turn Jupiter into a giant target for space-based heavy artillery, if it somehow becomes the norm someday.

[Nazgûl Killer]

Thanks for answering my previous question, but I have another:
I remember reading somewhere that Jupiter is mostly/is a bunch of highly compressed gasses... Is that right?
If so - How can it get 'scarred' or even hit by a comet?