Japanese amateur astronomers witnessed a bright flash of light, probably caused by a space rock hitting the gas giant. And that just weeks after a similar sighting in Brazil.

Planet Jupiter regularly has a hard time. For example, the giant planet is often bombarded with smashing space rocks. Just weeks ago, Brazilian amateur astronomers watched a space rock head towards the gas giant at high speed. And now, just a month later, it happened again.

Second impact

Japanese amateur astronomers suddenly saw a bright flash in the atmosphere of Jupiter’s northern hemisphere. They managed to capture the flash on camera.

A short video has also been made:

It is believed to be a space rock that was on a collision course with the gas giant. Just an hour after the collision, evidence of the impact had disappeared. “There is no scar left,” astrophotographer Damian Peach tweeted. “The object was probably too small to reach the deeper atmosphere.”

Second time

The spectacular event comes shortly after the announcement of a previously observed impact on Jupiter. Because just a month ago, Brazilian amateur astronomers came up with similar news.

Rode

Incidentally, it is known that Jupiter is regularly the target of scattered space rocks. For example, the gas giant would even be hit several times a year. This is partly due to the fact that Jupiter is much larger than Earth and therefore ‘catches’ more asteroids and other debris. In addition, Jupiter is close to the asteroid belt and has a powerful gravity associated with its mass. Therefore, small objects that litter the solar system are drawn into the planet’s thick, turbulent atmosphere, as it were.

Shoemaker-Levy 9

In recent decades, several impacts on Jupiter have been spotted. The first impact observed by humans was probably the most spectacular. It happened in 1994, when 21 pieces of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 headed toward Jupiter. It was a special event, as a collision between two celestial bodies had never been witnessed before. The comet’s “train” of scattered fragments hit Jupiter with a force comparable to 300 million atomic bombs.

Fragments of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 imaged by Hubble. This image shows all 21 fragments spanning an area of ​​approximately 1,140,000 kilometers (about three times the distance from Earth to the moon). The fragments struck Jupiter in July 1994. Image: NASA/ESA/H. Weaver and E. Smith STSci

The fragments then create huge plumes of up to 2000 to 3000 kilometers high. Shoemaker-Levy 9 left dark, ringed scars on the gas giant, which were eventually blown away by whirling winds on the planet.

wake up call

The event was not only spectacular, but at the same time a wake-up call: such major collisions are not something from the distant past, but apparently still take place in our solar system. And, if Jupiter is so vulnerable, Earth might be too… If the comet had hit our home planet, not the gas giant, it might have unleashed a global disaster, similar to the meteorite impact that hit the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. eradicated. “Shoemaker-Levy 9 was a punch in the stomach,” says astronomer Heidi Hammel. “It stimulated us to understand how important it is to keep an eye on our cosmic backyard.”

Planetary Protection Program

The impact led to the establishment of a planetary protection program. Because by studying the impact of SL9 on Jupiter, scientists were able to improve their models of what might happen if a comet or asteroid hit Earth, something we need to avoid at all costs. With the powerful impact on Jupiter still fresh in their minds, NASA was tasked with tracking down 90 percent of the asteroids that venture near Earth and are larger than a kilometer. By the end of 2010, NASA had achieved that ambitious goal. And still, countless scientists are closely monitoring potentially dangerous near-Earth Earths. The big challenge now, however, is to map as many smaller asteroids (a size of about 140 meters and larger) as much as possible. And in the future – with new technologies and techniques – the hunt for space rocks smaller than 140 meters will also be opened. It is estimated that millions of asteroids in the latter category are still waiting to be discovered.

It means that should there ever be a space rock on a collision course with Earth, we’ll probably have it in our sights early enough. In addition, no asteroid as we know of today poses a threat to Earth for the next century. Not only does that make us feel safe, we can now enjoy the impacts on Jupiter more. Because it is unlikely that the same fate will also befall the earth in the near future.