Slashdot Mirror


Something May Have Just Hit Jupiter

The blog of Anthony Wesley, an Australian amateur astronomer, has what may be the first photos of a recent comet or asteroid impact on Jupiter, near the south pole. These photos are 11 hours old. The ones at the bottom of the page show three small dark spots in addition to the main dark mark. The Bad Astronomy blog picked up the story a few hours later — but cautions that what we're seeing may not be an impact event. This is all reminiscent of the closely watched impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy on Jupiter in 1994.

77 of 299 comments (clear)

  1. Alternate site for slashdotted article by Romancer · · Score: 5, Informative
    --


    ) Human Kind Vs Human Creation
    ) It'd be interesting to see how many humans would survive to serve us.
  2. Or may not have by intx13 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    An amateur astronomer puts up pictures on his blog and we're comparing it to Shoemaker-Levy?

    Bad Astronomy says "it's jumping the gun to call it an impact event before we get more observations". I've got an idea for the next Slashdot article: "Asteroid heading towards earth - or maybe just spot on lense".

    1. Re:Or may not have by gammaraybuster · · Score: 5, Interesting

      If it is an impact, then what else is there to compare it to? According to the blogger, there was no sign whatever of the event just 2 days earlier. Can a storm arise that quickly out of nothing? In any case, it seems likely that they will soon be able to determine if it is an impact or not.

    2. Re:Or may not have by Aussie · · Score: 5, Informative

      >An amateur astronomer puts up pictures on his blog and we're comparing it to Shoemaker-Levy?

      Levy is an amateur, his degree is in english lit. He won an amateur astronomers award.

      (what I tried to post last time, bloody web2 crap)

    3. Re:Or may not have by ozmanjusri · · Score: 4, Funny

      And I knew I should never have given my girlfriend the keys to the asteroid...

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    4. Re:Or may not have by dido · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's the amateurs that tend to be the first to discover unknown stuff like comets and stuff. The professionals are in general engaged in directed research and do not have the time to be poking around random areas of the sky to see if anything interesting is going on there. As someone mentioned, David Levy is himself an amateur.

      --
      Qu'on me donne six lignes écrites de la main du plus honnête homme, j'y trouverai de quoi le faire pendre.
    5. Re:Or may not have by init100 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Many people seem to think that amateur is a synonym for incompetent.

    6. Re:Or may not have by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What's worse, many people seem to think that professional is a synonym for competent.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    7. Re:Or may not have by Sique · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Or, as the german philosopher Schopenhauer famously put it:

      Dilletants! Dilletants! - so are called those, who are occupied by a Science or an Art out of love to it, per il loro diletto, with disdain by those who do it for profit, because they love only the money which can be earned by it. This disdain is based on the dastard conviction, that nobody would ever seriously take on a subject if not distress, famine, or another greed urges it. The public is of the same spirit and thus has the same opinion: from here comes his respect for "people of the trade", and his mistrust of amateurs. In reality for the amateur the subject is the goal, for the man of the trade as himself it is only means. Only he will carry on with earnest who is immediately interested in the subject and who is occupied with it out of love. From those, not from the paid servants, the greatest has ever started.

      (Sorry for my bad english. I am an amateur after all ;) )

      --
      .sig: Sique *sigh*
    8. Re:Or may not have by metallurge · · Score: 2, Informative
      I like this quote a great deal. I took the liberty of smoothing the English only a little, while keeping the essential translational word choices the same. I humbly offer it:

      Dilettantes! Dilettantes! - so they are called, who are occupied by a Science or an Art out of love for it, per il loro diletto, with disdain by those who do it for profit, because they love only the money which can be earned by it. This disdain is based on the dastardly conviction, that nobody would ever seriously take on a subject if not urged to it by distress, famine, or another greed. The public is of the same spirit and thus has the same opinion: from here comes its respect for "people of the trade", and its mistrust of amateurs. In reality, for the amateur, the subject is the goal. For the tradesman, it is only a means. Only he who is immediately interested in the subject and who is occupied with it out of love will carry it on with earnestness. From those, not from the paid servants, have the greatest achievements ever begun.

  3. Just hit jupiter by The_mad_linguist · · Score: 5, Funny

    I mean, just up and hit it. No warning, no reason, just a wild haymaker out of nowhere. Didn't even see the guy.

    Man, that's going to leave a spot.

  4. Super Comet Fragment Impact Very Large Explosions by davidwr · · Score: 4, Funny

    Let's all sing another round of Super Comet Fragment Impact Extra-Large Explosions by Kare and Higgins.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  5. Good to see it doing it's job by spankyofoz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The gas giants are there to act as a magnet for comets/asteroids etc, so they don't end up near us.

    --

    - There is no point, it's like a sphere -
    1. Re:Good to see it doing it's job by networkzombie · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah, but if we didn't see this one coming, what if next time the gas giants don't do their job? T-Rex says "Only humans can prevent global extintion level events."

    2. Re:Good to see it doing it's job by WindBourne · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Actually, at this point, I would rather a few were by us. I think that we are going to need the minerals and elements, and have a few close by with different minerals could be useful. In particular, China is the main supplier of Rare Earth and a few steel making minerals, but they are purposely holding them off the market. All in all, I think that if we want to avoid war, we need to make sure that all nations have access to these. Probably the more interesting way would be to mine space.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    3. Re:Good to see it doing it's job by tumutbound · · Score: 5, Funny

      The gas giants are there to act as a magnet for comets/asteroids etc, so they don't end up near us.

      I don't remember that part of Genesis...

      Which part do you remember?

      I remember Phil Collins great drumming and Peter Gabriels vocals. Of course this was the old Genesis not the reformed one.

    4. Re:Good to see it doing it's job by Foobar+of+Borg · · Score: 2

      I remember Phil Collins great drumming and Peter Gabriels vocals. Of course this was the old Genesis not the reformed one.

      Yes, Phil Collins did great drumming and Peter Gabriel is a great singer, but they are much better apart than they are together. So, the whole Jupiter-Earth combination is kind of an anti-pre-reformed-Genesis.

    5. Re:Good to see it doing it's job by wellingj · · Score: 4, Interesting

      What would be wrong with the prospecting model that was used during all the gold rush years?
      After that fizzles we can move to the homesteading rush.

      If you think about it, it's probably the fastest way to colonize space, because I don't see the super powers doing much more than having a global pissing match over what is already here....

    6. Re:Good to see it doing it's job by bigbadvoo · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actually, "It was thought that the planet served to partially shield the inner system from cometary bombardment. However, recent computer simulations suggest that Jupiter doesn't cause a net decrease in the number of comets that pass through the inner Solar System, as its gravity perturbs their orbits inward in roughly the same numbers that it accretes or ejects them." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter#Interaction_with_the_Solar_System

    7. Re:Good to see it doing it's job by rs79 · · Score: 5, Funny

      " Yes, Phil Collins did great drumming and Peter Gabriel is a great singer, but they are much better apart than they are together. So, the whole Jupiter-Earth combination is kind of an anti-pre-reformed-Genesis."

      Holst that thought.

      --
      Need Mercedes parts ?
    8. Re:Good to see it doing it's job by rm999 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Not to mention that Jupiter's orbit keeps it close to a lot of asteroids (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:InnerSolarSystem-en.png). Kind of beautiful: the Sun basically has a huge, sparse ring around it.

      And here's a deep thought: if the asteroid belt had been closer to the Sun, there is a good chance we wouldn't be alive to wish it weren't ;)

    9. Re:Good to see it doing it's job by Fumus · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Dude. If he had the technology to place a nearby asteroid in our orbit, then lack of rare minerals would be a minor inconvenience.

  6. Dang by rlp · · Score: 5, Funny

    So, I should cancel my plans to land on Europa?

    --
    [Insert pithy quote here]
    1. Re:Dang by mjwx · · Score: 4, Funny

      So, I should cancel my plans to land on Europa?

      All these worlds are yours, except Europa, attempt no landing there.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    2. Re:Dang by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

      Something also embedded into Uranus. Good luck with that ;-P

    3. Re:Dang by w0mprat · · Score: 4, Funny

      So, I should cancel my plans to land on Europa?

      All these worlds are yours, except Europa, attempt no landing there.

      In the real 2010 its more like:

      aLL THESE WORLD ARE BELONG TO YOU KK, DO NOT WANT EUROPA THX

      --
      After logging in slashdot still does not take you back to the page you were on. It's been that way for 20 years.
    4. Re:Dang by Tumbleweed · · Score: 3, Funny

      In the real 2010 its more like:

      aLL THESE WORLD ARE BELONG TO YOU KK, DO NOT WANT EUROPA THX

      This is not the moon you're looking for. We can go about our business. Move along.

  7. Well that's why they're there... by s0litaire · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Saturn and Jupiter are the sweepers of the Solar system. They are big, so things hit them instead of us. Think of them as bodyguards... ^_^

    --
    Laters Sol "Have you found the secrets of the universe? Asked Zebade "I'm sure I left them here somewhere"
    1. Re:Well that's why they're there... by Vectronic · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yeah, till the day one of them changes the orbit of what would have been just something to observe in the sky, to something that knocks us clean out of our orbit.

    2. Re:Well that's why they're there... by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 2, Informative

      Well a lot of the stuff we worry about is roughly in the same disc as the planet...

      True, but the size of their orbits makes it seem like playing foosball with two (weakly) magnetized needles for goalies and a bunch of iron fillings as the ball.

    3. Re:Well that's why they're there... by sznupi · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Moon impact is in its own league, considering that the impactor was very large and came in very slow/probably from one of Lagrangian points of proto-Earth ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_impact_hypothesis )

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
  8. I just hand an thought... by s0litaire · · Score: 5, Funny
    ...It's nearly 2010...

    and a dark spot is noticed on Jupiter...

    Now where did i put that monolith...

    --
    Laters Sol "Have you found the secrets of the universe? Asked Zebade "I'm sure I left them here somewhere"
    1. Re:I just hand an thought... by Darth_brooks · · Score: 4, Funny

      Check your lagrange points. I'm always leaving monoliths there. And defining blues-rock trios. Those always show up at my lagrange.

      --
      There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell 'em.
  9. She just fell on the coffee table! by plasmacutter · · Score: 4, Funny

    "something may have hit jupiter" and left a black mark...but jupiter inisists she just fell eye-first on the coffee table!

    --
    VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
    1. Re:She just fell on the coffee table! by Darth_brooks · · Score: 3, Funny

      "Great, another planet that doesn't listen..."

      Can I use my frequent flier miles to upgrade the seat to hell that I just purchased?

      --
      There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell 'em.
  10. Fuck you Jupiter! by deglr6328 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I found a new dark spot on my pole last week and you don't see me running to the science press about it! media whore!

    --
    - "Hear that?! The percolations are imminent! Cease your ingress!"
  11. Re:Yep, that's why God put em there by spankyofoz · · Score: 4, Informative

    Sorry, I could have worded it better. I'm not claiming intelligent design put Jupiter there, merely that Jupiter is doing what Jupiter does, and that this event is nothing out of the ordinary.

    Very cool that it was captured (by an Aussie)

    --

    - There is no point, it's like a sphere -
  12. No, not the first by davidwr · · Score: 4, Funny

    Jupiter's been impacted many many times before.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
    1. Re:No, not the first by c0p0n · · Score: 2, Funny

      Pretty sure you mean "Uranus".

      --

      Your head a splode
  13. Who will be the first? by erroneus · · Score: 3, Funny

    Who will be the first to register "Jupiter-aid.com" to collect donations for the stricken Jupiterians?

    1. Re:Who will be the first? by Rhuragh · · Score: 2

      Hey, you jerk! I'm from Jupiter, and the proper demonym is "Jovian," you insensitive clod!

  14. Hubble! by Tablizer · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I hope they can get the Hubble scope on it fast, without bureaucratic or technical hurdles.

    1. Re:Hubble! by rcw-home · · Score: 4, Informative

      Isn't Jupiter too close for the Hubble? It's a deep space telescope and Jupiter hardly counts.

      Just like my point-and-shoot camera doesn't care whether something is 100 feet away or several miles away when I manually set it to infinite focus, the Hubble Space Telescope doesn't care whether something is a light second or several billion light years away. It has imaged every planet in the solar system except Mercury (including Earth), has imaged the moon, and once indirectly imaged the sun.

    2. Re:Hubble! by dotgain · · Score: 2, Funny

      Issues!? Seems to me it's got an entire subscription

    3. Re:Hubble! by gaspyy · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Just to be pedantic, point-and-shoot cameras (aka focus-free, including the ones in cell phones) are not focused to infinity but rather to the hyperfocal distance

    4. Re:Hubble! by dotgain · · Score: 2, Insightful
      And to continue the pedantry, from the article you linked: (emphasis mine)

      Definition 2: The hyperfocal distance is the distance beyond which all objects are acceptably sharp, for a lens focused at infinity.

      Fun, isn't it?

  15. Received transmission: by Chairboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    All these planets are yours
    except Europa
    Attempt no landi- hang on, what the fu#$(@*$&
    NO CARRIER

  16. Re:Yep, that's why God put em there by SEWilco · · Score: 4, Funny

    If I pay Jupiter to catch rocks, then he has a job.

  17. How to solve it by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 4, Funny

    The math is actually pretty simple to figure this all out.

    Given: About 12 weeks ago, Balmer finds out that Netbooks are shipping with Linux.

    How much did kinetic energy did the chair possess...

  18. A large dark spot forms on Jupiter... by Junior+J.+Junior+III · · Score: 5, Funny
    --
    You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
  19. Gasp! You've solved our mission to Mars problem! by Tsaot · · Score: 3, Funny

    All we have to do is put an astronaut in a chair near Ballmer and then tell him Google just hired Gates!

  20. new site jupiter.samba.org by tridge · · Score: 5, Informative

    Anthony's webserver has been slashdotted, but
    he has copied the files to:

        http://jupiter.samba.org/

    He is now trying to login to his server so he
    can redirect the pages to the above site.

    As well as being an amateur astronomer, Anthony
    is a keen Linux enthusiast. His home built
    telescope is controlled by his Linux box.

    Cheers, Tridge

    1. Re:new site jupiter.samba.org by plover · · Score: 2, Insightful

      As well as being an amateur astronomer, Anthony is a keen Linux enthusiast. His home built telescope is controlled by his Linux box.

      But not tonight, I bet it's not controlling a damn thing.

      --
      John
  21. Re:Yep, that's why God put em there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yes, but in your rush to denigrate people who believe differently than yourself you did.

  22. Re:Yep, that's why God put em there by pentalive · · Score: 4, Funny

    When was the last time Jupiter cashed one of his paychecks?

  23. Re:Yep, that's why God put em there by finity · · Score: 3, Funny

    I have new hope for Slashdot and the Internet in general.

  24. please use new URL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Can the slashdot admins please move the link in the story to the new site? I can't even log into my box to put the redirect in place...

    http://jupiter.samba.org/

    Thanks again Tridge, you're a lifesaver

    Anthony

  25. Re:Super Comet Fragment Impact Very Large Explosio by Tumbleweed · · Score: 4, Funny

    Let's all sing another round of Super Comet Fragment Impact Extra-Large Explosions by Kare and Higgins.

    Let's not.

  26. Re:Yep, that's why God put em there by Tumbleweed · · Score: 2, Funny

    Sorry, I could have worded it better. I'm not claiming intelligent design put Jupiter there, merely that Jupiter is doing what Jupiter does, and that this event is nothing out of the ordinary.

    Yes, yes, gas giants *will* be gas giants, and all that...there's no such thing as a bad gas giant!

  27. Re:Yep, that's why God put em there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Very cool that it was captured (by an Aussie)

    Free the asteroid! Free the asteroid!

  28. Something May Have Just Hit Jupiter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Eeriest Slashdot story title of the year?

  29. OMG! Shooting planets out of the sky? by Runaway1956 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Where's the safest place to take cover?

    Oh, wait. This is probably one time boot camp training will come in handy.

    1. Sit down.
    2. Place your head between your knees.
    3. Kiss your ass "good-bye".

    I don't know - that still sounds kinda disgusting - maybe I'll read and think a bit before I do that. Oh. That's right. ALL THE PLANETS have been hit repeatedly. There probably isn't a year that goes by without one being hit. This hit's maybe the biggest ever recorded, but nothing new. Lotsa hits happened before mankind was around to record them.

    Phhht.

    More non-news. Maybe I'll just catch the re-runs next year.

    --
    "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    1. Re:OMG! Shooting planets out of the sky? by jnnnnn · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well, given that the planets were FORMED from colliding objects, it's not really surprising that collisions are still happening.

  30. Re:Yep, that's why God put em there by devnulljapan · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes, but in your rush to denigrate people who believe differently than yourself you did.

    You mean like the jackasses who insist the universe is 6000 years old?

  31. Re:This should be modded "Troll" ... by Arthur+Grumbine · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It parses far too easily as a joke on spousal abuse.

    Does it parse any other way!?
    Well, I guess it could be parsed as planetary lesbian domestic partner abuse, if you really want to be PC.

    --
    Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
  32. Nice example for FOSS by plopez · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Astronomy is a good example for FOSS. A lot of near Earth low energy astronomy gets done by amateurs in the best sense of the word, those who have a passion for the topic but don't get paid to do it.

    The same for other areas such as birding and botany. Often volunteers discover or rediscover rare species and then the pros can come back in and do more in depth studies.

    Anywho. Nice job. What ever it turns out to be.

    --
    putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
  33. Re:This should be modded "Troll" ... by Draek · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So? here at Slashdot we make jokes of murderers, pedophiles, recently deceased people, people with disabilities, etc. And if we don't care about *those*, I don't see why we'd care about simple domestic abuse.

    Plus, it provides some much-needed relief from the endless 2010 allusions being posted here.

    --
    No problem is insoluble in all conceivable circumstances.
  34. Re:thats nice and all by DigiShaman · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've often heard Jupiter called the "vacuum cleaner" of space in that it sucks up foreign objects that stray into our solar system. Be thankful we have this planet among us. It's sorta like our protector.

    --
    Life is not for the lazy.
  35. Jupiter being naughty again? by ldpercy · · Score: 4, Funny
  36. south pole by mathfeel · · Score: 4, Funny

    Took me a few second to realized why the south pole is on top of the image. The guy is in Australia.

    --
    The only possible interpretation of any research whatever in the 'social sciences' is: some do, some don't
  37. Re:Jupiter is a Gas Giant by Ihlosi · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Nonsense, nothing can hit Jupiter. It is a gas giant. It probably slowed down while passing thru that massive gas layers and halted at the core because of the gravity.

    At a few kilometers per second, you won't feel the difference between hitting a solid and hitting a gas.

  38. Re:Yep, that's why God put em there by Ginger+Unicorn · · Score: 4, Insightful

    He was denigrating a notion, not a group of people. The fact that there exist some people who take criticism of their worldview as a personal attack is a matter for those particular people to come to terms with.

    --
    (1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons
  39. Re:thats nice and all by CheshireCatCO · · Score: 2, Informative

    It's not a vacuum cleaner, it's gravity isn't so powerful as to pull other objects out of orbit per se. Sure, it probably gets hit more than other planets, but that's not that impressive. It fills less of its Hill Sphere than Earth does, so it's more likely to scatter a passing object than absorb it. And a recent study by Grazier and Newman demonstrated that it probably is taking more pot-shots at Earth than it is protecting us.

  40. Re:thats nice and all by antonyb · · Score: 5, Funny

    Out of interest, where else have you watched documentaries?

    Ant.

  41. Re:Jupiter is a Gas Giant by agw · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Nonsense, nothing can hit Jupiter. It is a gas giant. It probably slowed down while passing thru that massive gas layers and halted at the core because of the gravity.

    At a few kilometers per second, you won't feel the difference between hitting a solid and hitting a gas.

    That would depend on the pressure in the atmosphere.
    If something enters the atmosphere it will burst as soon as the pressure is too high.
    That will definately happen on Jupiter, but also happens on Venus or even Earth. Early probes to Venus were crushed even before the impact and Venus is a rocky planet.

    It's unlikely that anything will "hit" the core of Jupiter, as only the first layer and the clouds are really gas. Below it, the pressure is so great the gas becomes like a liquid.

    Jupiter's layers are actually quite interesting and become really awesome when realizing the size of them.

  42. If you look at old pics of Jupiter... by dm513 · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you look and compare some old pics of Jupiter and the current one showing the recent "impact"...You will notice there has been a darkened spot there before...

  43. Re:thats nice and all by silent_artichoke · · Score: 3, Funny

    Folks, let's hear it for Ant. He'll be here all week. Don't forget to tip your waitress!