Violent impact on Jupiter – amateur astronomer films the incident

Jupiter is considered a “protective shield” of the inner solar system because it frequently intercepts asteroids or comets. Now a video shows just such an effect.

FRANKFURT – Countless pieces of rock small and large – asteroids and comets – race across the solar system and repeatedly strike planets or moons. The numerous craters on the surface of our Moon, Mars, and Earth bear witness to these violent impacts. A few days ago, a large object collided with the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter.

The resulting short, bright flash of light was captured by many astronomers. It was reported first The collision between a large object and Jupiter was detected by the astronomy projects Poncots (Planetary Observing Camera for Optical Transit Surveys) and Oases (Organized Automated Telescopes for Surveys of Occasional Events) in Okinawa, Japan. It was held on August 28 at 6:45pm (CET).

Jupiter collides with a large object, and a bright flash of light is seen

Masa Planetary Log, an account on the X platform (formerly Twitter), was able to notice the effect and Shared shots of flashing light. Account reporting operator To the Space.com portal: “I was very lucky to photograph this phenomenon when it happened.” In fact, the amateur astronomer behind the account spontaneously took the images and only discovered them the next morning after hearing about the collision.

A large celestial body hits Jupiter – video shows the incident

Because of its size, enormous gravity, and proximity to the asteroid belt, pieces of rock frequently collide with Jupiter. However, very few of these effects have been observed or even recorded. The strike was last observed in October 2021. However, perhaps the most famous impact of an object on Jupiter occurred in July 1994. At that time, a fragment of comet Shoemaker-Levy-9, which split into several pieces, collided with Jupiter . The comet had previously been destroyed by the influence of Jupiter.

Jupiter is considered an important “protective shield” for Earth and the inner solar system. It frequently attracts asteroids and comets that collide with it or are thrown into the outer solar system – thus missing Earth. In addition, its presence affects Earth’s orbit, a research team has shown. (unpaid bill)