Amateur astronomers Anthony Wesley of Australia and Christopher Go of the Philippines have independently observed an impact event on Jupiter. The strike occurred at 20:31 UT on June 3rd and produced a bright flash of light in the giant planet's cloudtops. The nature of the impactor is presently unknown. It might have been an asteroid or a comet. In either case, a dark and cindery debris field is expected to develop around the impact point. More to come [MSNBC and Sky&Tel].
A new study of a 2009 asteroid impact of Jupiter was also released yesterday reports the Christain Science Monitor, The Mail On-Line, and Space.com.
Several impact events are documented in Earth's history while others are concerned about the future of an asteroid impact again.
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