Jupiter Impact
This mid-infrared image shows a new impact site on Jupiter reminiscent of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9 impacts from 1994. The new feature on Jupiter was first seen by Australian amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley on July 19th. The object that caused the impact scar could have been a small comet or asteroid. Using the SL9 impacts as a guide, the impacting object was probably just a few hundreds of meters in diameter. Such small bodies are nearly impossible to detect near or beyond Jupiter unless they reveal cometary activity, or, as in this case, make their presence known by impacting a giant planet. The impact site is dark in visible-wavelength images, but glows brightly in the infrared.
| Observatory: | Gemini Observatory (North) Mauna Kea, Hawai'i |
|---|---|
| Telescope: | Gemini North |
| Instrument: | Michelle |
| Astronomer: | I. de Pater (UC Berkeley), H.B. Hammel (Space Science Institute) and T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) |
| Date of Observation: | 07-22-2009 |
| Filters and Assigned Colors: | 8.7 microns (blue) and 9.7 microns (yellow) |
| Exposure Times: | 41 sec in each filter |
| Location of Image: | Solar System |
| Field of View: | 28.1 x 24.1 arcsec |
| Orientation: | North is up, East is to the left |
| Link to Larger Image | |
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