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383 787 02: The largest moon in the solar system, Ganymede, is captured here alongside the planet Jupiter … [+]
Getty Images
The largest planet in our solar system is a fairly easy target, with all of its gargantuan mass and gravity. Seems like something has probably given up its very existence to try and breach Jupiter, but when you’re dealing with a gas giant, it’s a pretty tough task.
Instead, the big asteroid, or the little comet or who knows what generated a flash of light that was picked up by Brazilian astronomer José Luis Pereira on Monday.
“Not yet much information on the impacting object but it is likely to be large and / or fast!” European Space Agency said on twitter Tuesday.
Jupiter is no stranger to this kind of abuse.
A similar flash was first detected by an amateur astronomer in August 2019, the latest in a relatively long history of impacts.
You can also find online observations of Jupiter’s strikes from 2018, 2016, 2012, 2010 and 2009.
Of course, the most famous example of hits against the big planet probably dates back to the 1990s when Comet Shoemaker-Levy fragmented and struck Jupiter in June 1994.
Comet P / Shoemaker-Levy 9, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Planetary Camera 2 in wide field mode. … [+]
Corbis via Getty Images
It seems unlikely that what struck Jupiter this week would come close to the extent of this cometary collision, but astronomers are currently busy examining observations of the planet for clues.
If we never get more details about that impact, don’t worry – we’ll definitely see more in the not-so-distant future.
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