Massive object slams Jupiter
by FrEiBeRgS2002 on Jul.28, 2009, under Misc
PASADENA, Calif. (UPI) – The planet Jupiter has been slammed by a mysterious object so large it left an indentation the size of Earth, NASA scientists said.
An amateur astronomer in Australia noticed the mark Sunday and contacted scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, in Pasadena, California, CNN reported Tuesday.
The object could have been a block of ice or a comet too faint for astronomers to have detected before impact, JPL scientist Glenn Orton told CNN.
This marked the second time scientists were able to observe an impact on Jupiter, the fifth planet from the sun and the largest planet in the solar system, JPL astronomer Leigh Fletcher said in an interview with New Scientist. Fifteen years ago, comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 broke into 21 pieces and hit the planet’s atmosphere.
“Given the rarity of these events, it’s extremely exciting to be involved in these observations,” Fletcher said.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International
