Hubble identifies Jupiter's attacker

[Ian David]

David Shiga, reporter

The object that smacked into Jupiter in 2009, leaving a dark bruise, was probably an asteroid, according to a new study based on ultraviolet Hubble Space Telescope images.



The aftermath of the 2009 impact was strikingly different from a collision in 1994 by the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. The comet fragments left behind much larger dark patches when the planet was viewed at ultraviolet wavelengths.

That might be because comets have dusty atmospheres, called comae, that are much larger than their solid nuclei. Material from Shoemaker-Levy 9's coma would have rained down over a large area to produce the especially wide dark patches seen in 1994.

<snip>

The asteroid may have been 500 metres wide, and the collision was powerful – equivalent to the explosion of thousands of nuclear bombs, says a press release from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which manages Hubble's observations.

More:
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2010/06/hubble-identifies-jupiters-att.html

[onehandle]

1. Jupiter won that battle. We wouldn't.

2012 is coming and we have a black President.

We're next.

[Angry Dragon]

2. Tin foil hats will save you