Saturday, June 12, 2010

Meteor Strikes the Planet Jupiter

If you happened to be looking at Jupiter through a telescope at the right time on June 3rd, you just may have had a glimpse of a flash of light. Astronomers have be wondering exactly what it was that slammed into the gas giant mass of the planet Jupiter.


It could have either been a comet, but Australian amateur astronomer, Anthony Wesley supposes that it was a meteorite that struck the gas giant. There is a video captured by Anthony that shows Jupiter being struck by a meteor.

The object did not leave a gaping dark spot on Jupiter, much the same way as when Comet Shumacher-Levy slammed into the planet in1994.

Jupiter is readily viewable after midnight, rising between 1 am and 2 am.  By sunrise, you should easily spot Jupiter in the southeastern sky. It will be the brightest object in the early morning sky.

Most backyard telescopes are able to make out the bright disc of Jupiter, as well as some dark shadows on the surface. These dark shadows are the clouds of gas that swirl around the surface of the planet. In addition to the bands swirling around the planet, you should also be able to see tiny pin pricks of light on either side of the planet. You will note that these pin pricks of light will change position on each successive night, and sometimes even hourly. These are some of the moons that are in orbit around Jupiter.  There are over 60 moons that have been discovered in orbit around Jupiter, but only the largest are viewable with a backyard telescope.  

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