NEW IMPACT ON JUPITER
By Andrew Robertson, SPA Planetary Section Director
Readers may or may not be aware of a possible new impact on Jupiter.
Amateur astronomers Anthony Wesley of Australia and Christopher Go of
the Philippines have independently observed a bright flash of light on
Jupiter at 20:31 UT on June 3. See http://spaceweather.com/ for a
report and links to videos of the event.
The likely scenario for this is believed to be an impact but observations
made by amateurs in Western Europe as Jupiter came into view following
the event revealed no impact scar. However only low-resolution images
were possible owing to Jupiter's low altitude in a bright sky.
Any observations would be welcomed at http://popastro.com/planet/contact/
Also, if you do get a chance to look at Jupiter (which I appreciate
will be difficult until Jupiter gets higher and in a darker sky) don't
forget that the SEB which has almost vanished.
Posts
