Topic: Mysterious Flash on Jupiter Left No Debris Cloud

[sam]

Detailed observations made by the Wide Field Camera 3 on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have found an answer to the flash of light seen June 3 on Jupiter. It came from a giant meteor burning up high above Jupiter's cloud tops. The space visitor did not plunge deep enough into the atmosphere to explode and leave behind any telltale cloud of debris, as seen in previous Jupiter collisions.

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2010/20/

[Clive]

Perhaps it was a very small asteroid. 

[sam]

maybe... or aliens 

[Clive]

 

[sam]

more from hubble on this: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/100617-science-space-jupiter-impact-comet-meteor-hubble/

[Clive]

Yes, a big difference between a meteor and an asteroid!  I know we get very bright fireballs in our own atmosphere so I suppose we should not be surprised that other solar system planets get them too.  Yet we are surprised!   

[sam]

indeed, I wonder what the probability of observing one is though, must be fairly low.

[Clive]

More by luck than judgement!  But thoe guys will dine out on that for the rest of their lives.   

[sam]

indeed!