Possible comet/asteroid impact on Jupiter?

[benfire401]

Considering that the impact was along the same trajectory as Shoemaker/Levy 9 is most likely an old fragment from that comet. These events are rare and to have observations within a span of 15 years is unusual but not altogether surprising. Jupiter is the second largest gravity well in the solar system and must absorb hundreds of times the volume of debris compared to the Earth.

 

[MikeWiggins]

I know it will probably take several weeks (maybe months) to collate and classify all the data that is being gathered, but is there any initial spectrographic analysis of the impact area? I know it's not as good as getting a reading off the initial plume, but any chemical aberrations/differences to known Jovian chemistries might lead to a conclusion of the makeup of the impactor (my guess is a comet).

Thanks.

 

[MeteorWayne]

I'm actively searching for any information, but haven't found anything so far.

But there's so many places to look, and so little time

 

[silylene]

Considering that the impact was along the same trajectory as Shoemaker/Levy 9 is most likely an old fragment from that comet. These events are rare and to have observations within a span of 15 years is unusual .....

Well, that is possible.

I recall reading an article around the time of SL9 (probably I read it in S&T or Science) that there had been two observations of possible Jovian impacts prior to SL9. These observations were visual (or perhaps pre-CCD photographic) of unusual dark blemishes that had suddenly appeared in the cloudbanks, and then slowly faded over the next couple of weeks. At the time of these observations, their origin was unknown and had not been attributed to an impact event.

So if my recollection is correct (?), then since the time that Jupiter has been under observation by reasonably good telescopes (since about 1880), there have been 4 impact events (counting SL9 as one) in the last 130 years, or one about every 33 years.

Having two events occuring within 15 years would not be all that unexpected from a statistical opint of view.

 

[silylene]

Here is a reference to possible historical impacts on Jupiter before 1880:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_o ... T-3VWFT0C-

Conclusion is that there were quite a few possibilities, but that the descriptions were to vague to be sure.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Hi silylene.
Can you try that link again? I tried it twice and got an error.

In the meantime,I'll try and track it down and post it.

MW

 

[silylene]

try this link then, and click on the pdf download within it: http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...d=208309&md5=8be6551f49d17057dd113470e0ee1207

 

[silylene]

And i still distincly remember another paper (about 15 years ago) which had historical observations from the film photography age of telescopes, and had two good candidiates. I was unable to track it down so far.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Thanx my friend. It worked, but there wasn't much meat on the bone there. I will continue my search for more info on past impacts as well as details on the object that caused this one.
MW

 

[silylene]

Hubble Takes Snapshot of Jupiter’s ‘Black Eye’

NASA, ESA, H. Hammel (Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo.), and the Jupiter Impact Team
A close-up view of the new dark spot on Jupiter taken with Hubble's Wide-Field Camera 3 on Thursday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/science/space/25hubble.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

By DENNIS OVERBYE
Published: July 24, 2009
A team of astronomers used the newly refurbished Hubble Space Telescope to snap a picture of Jupiter’s new black eye on Thursday.

The spot, roughly 5,000 miles long, according to the Hubble team, led by Heidi Hammel of the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo., was formed when a small comet or other object crashed into the giant planet on Sunday. It was discovered Sunday night by an amateur astronomer in Australia, Anthony Wesley, who sounded an alert that has had all telescope eyes turning to Jupiter.

The Hubble photo marks a triumphant return to the scientific arena for the fabled telescope, which shut down last September when a computer router failed. It underwent its last orbital overhaul in May.

The Hubble astronomers, who were still in the process of bringing the telescope back on line when Jupiter was smacked, interrupted their methodical procedures to get a snapshot with the new Wide Field Camera 3, which was installed during the May mission and is still not completely calibrated.

Hubble scientists said they were planning to unveil the rejuvenated telescope with a barrage of new pictures and data in September. But for now the word is out. Hubble is back.

 

[tanstaafl76]

The spot, roughly 5,000 miles long, according to the Hubble team, led by Heidi Hammel of the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo., was formed when a small comet or other object crashed into the giant planet on Sunday. It was discovered Sunday night by an amateur astronomer in Australia, Anthony Wesley, who sounded an alert that has had all telescope eyes turning to Jupiter.

Wow, I guess "small" is relative, eh?

Scary they couldn't see something coming that could create this significant of a disturbance in the Jovian atmospshere.

 

[3488]

Another HST view with the nes WFPC3 of Jupiter with impact blemish.

Showing directions & scale.

Hopefully the newly refurbished Hyuuble along with other observatories will monitor how the feature will disperse. I wonder if it will be possible to find the impactor from earier observations or if it was far too small & far away to be observable. If it was a tiny asteroid, there would have been no coma, tail etc, so would be hard to see.

It is quite interesting that this too like SL9 was a southern hemisphere hit. I do not think this is related to SL9 though.

It proves one thing, Hubble is working post STS 125 Atlantis. These obervations were made using the newly installed WFPC 3. Whilst no post STS 125 Atlantis HST releases were due till September, this certainly was far too good to miss.

Andrew Brown.

 

[Testing]

Nice to see WPC-3 up again.

 

[dragon04]

Monoliths... Von Neumann Monoliths....

It appears that Hubble is indeed at top form! Can anyone answer me this question? As with Shoemaker-Levy 9, this impactor has hit in the far south of Jupiter. Is this random, or is something else at work here?

Oh, and thanks Andrew for the quality image posting we've come to enjoy from you!

 

[MeteorWayne]

It's really too early to tell Dragon. Until a search of past sky images is completed and hopefully the impactor is found in a pre impact orbit, it's speculation. Certainly 2 impacts, this object and S-L 9 (though it had been shredded into 21 pieces) is not enough to determine randomness. It's also possible that this is related to SL-9, since an earlier piece that had broken off might have been in a similar orbit.

We just have to be patient while the research is done.

BTW, for size comparison of the impact scars, here's a visible light image of S-L 9 impacts.; the pieces ranges fom a hundred meters to probably 2 km in diameter.

Rats, I have no idea why I can't get images to work.

Here's the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jupit ... _sites.jpg

 

[xXTheOneRavenXx]

I was just wondering that IF this were a comet and given the rough time frame of impact, wouldn't there have still been a remnant of a detectable comet trail? Whereas an asteroid wouldn't leave such a remnant.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Well that's my thought as well. It seems far more likely that a small asteroid (which is by definition, a comet that is not outgassing) could have escaped detection.

 

[xXTheOneRavenXx]

Maybe a large KBO? Jupiter is known for help having shaped the belt with it's gravitational influence.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Anything as to origin is PURE speculation until some pre impact images are found.

As to size, it would seem to be in the 500 meter to 1 km range, however that's just an estimate...without knowing the impact velocity (which would come from calculating the orbit) it's a WAG.

A KBO seems unlikely unless it was very small, since the impact from out there would be at very high velocity, and pretty unlikely.

 

[3488]

Hi Wayne, I think this is it showing the SL9 impact scars. Hubble Space Telescope.

Maybe a large KBO? Jupiter is known for help having shaped the belt with it's gravitational influence.

Hi TheOneRaven.

I do not know about a 'Large' KBO. Perhaps the imactor did originate from the KBO in the very remote past, but it would be a tiny one, no more than a few hundred metres across. A large KBO like Orcus, Quaoar, or even a larger KBO like Pluto or Eris, would leave an enormous scar in Jupiter's atmosphere. Besides, IMHO it would be long way for a KBO to be perturbed to come this far in. I reckon it's just a normal tiny comet or asteroid.

The impactor was tiny, certainly less than 1 KM across, even less then 500 metres across.

The question of whether this impact is related to the SL9 impacts is interesting. Myself I do not think so. I think it is just chance that the impacts were in the southern hemisphere.

The SL9 impacts were approx 44 degrees south, this new one informally known as the Wesley Impact (named after Anthony Wesley in Australia who discovered it), is approx 57 degrees south. 13 degrees further south than the SL9 fragments in July 1994.

This is why we need to get an orbiter back around Jupiter, we miss stuff like this. Imaghine how useful that would be right now. Sucks New Horizon wasn't just a tad behind schedule or it could have gotten us some pretty nice pictures.

Hi Brandon,

Perhaps a future impact may be seen by the upcoming JUNO mission or the proposed EJSM (Europa Jupiter System Mission) or JGO (Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter) or IVO (Io Volcano Observer) missions. We never know.

Andrew Brown.

 

[suthers]

Martin Ratcliffe has found an interesting reference in Webb's Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, 1881 edition, page 156, quoting an observation of Jupiter by an observer, thought to be Gruithuisen, who in 1822 "saw and drew a small elliptical black speck close to the limb near the south pole."

Mind you, he also thought he had found a city on the Moon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_von_Gruithuisen

Paul

http://www.skymania.com