Science
Skywatchers in Japan recently noticed what appeared to be a light in Jupiter's atmosphere produced by an asteroid collision.
Updated : Oct 24, 2021, 09:13 PM IST
The subject of space and the solar system is vast and intriguing. Jupiter, as the largest planet, has the strongest gravitational effect of all the planetary bodies. As a result, it draws many things, such as asteroids, that travel in free space around it.
Skywatchers in Japan recently noticed what appeared to be a light in Jupiter's atmosphere produced by an asteroid collision. An analysis team headed by Ko Arimatsu, an astronomer at Kyoto University in Japan, observed a vibrant flash in Jupiter's atmosphere on October 15, 2021, which was apparently produced by an asteroid striking on the planet.
As part of the Organized Autotelecopes for the Serendipitous Event Survey (OASES) study, the researcher examines the largest planet. A similar occurrence was recently witnessed by a Brazilian observer, Jose Luis Pereira, who captured a brilliant flash in Jupiter's climate.
Observers captured a flashing light source in the appearance of a little dot on the ground of the gaseous planet Jupiter, which was uploaded to YouTube. In the minute-and-a-half long video, flash of light starts after around 11 seconds and lasts for five to six seconds.
"Since simultaneous observations have been made at two locations in Japan, the collision flash phenomenon on the surface of Jupiter is almost certain," the Kyoto University OASES Project tweeted after the unexpected event was observed.
It was also the ninth verified observation of a light connected with an impact with Jupiter's surface, according to the tweet.
10月15日22:24(JST)に発生した、木星表面へ小天体が衝突した瞬間の閃光について、PONCOTS観測システムを用いて可視500-750nm及び889nmメタンバンドによる同時観測に史上初めて成功しました。2色同時に得られた閃光の画像をここに初公開いたします。 pic.twitter.com/Hs2wJp0s5F
— 京大OASES project (@OASES_miyako) October 17, 2021
According to Space.com, the flash in Jupiter's atmosphere was taken with the use of a Celestron C6 telescope.
It is extremely challenging to record such a glimpse from Earth due to technological limits. Furthermore, research suggests that objects with a diameter of at least 150 feet strike Jupiter more frequently than is reported, and that the strike may not always be seen from Earth.