| |
EI2GYB > ASTRO 16.09.21 11:35l 69 Lines 3572 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 14610_EI2GYB
Read: GUEST
Subj: Amateur Spots Possible New Impact Flash at Jupiter
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<IR1UAW<IW2OHX<UA6ADV<LU4ECL<ZL2BAU<EI2GYB
Sent: 210916/1031Z @:EI2GYB.DGL.IRL.EURO #:14610 BPQ6.0.22
_ _ _ _
/ \ ___| |_ _ __ ___ | \ | | _____ _____
/ _ \ / __| __| '__/ _ \ | \| |/ _ \ \ /\ / / __|
/ ___ \\__ \ |_| | | (_) | | |\ | __/\ V V /\__ \
/_/ \_\___/\__|_| \___/ |_| \_|\___| \_/\_/ |___/
Amateur Spots Possible New Impact Flash at Jupiter
An amateur astronomer has discovered a possible new impact flash in Jupiter's
equatorial region.
Did Jupiter just get smacked again? Amateur astronomer Jos‚ Luis Pereira of
Brazil just discovered a probable new impact at the gas giant on September 13th
at around 22:39:30 UT (18:39:30 EDT). Weather conditions were poor at the time,
but Pereira decided to search anyway for possible flashes with DeTeCt software.
The free program, created by planetary observer Marc Delcroix, is a useful tool
to check for transient events such as planetary impacts.
Despite poor conditions Pereira suspected something on his first video and ran
DeTeCt to check it out. The program alerted him that there was a high
probability that what he saw was indeed a collision. He immediately sent a
message to Delcroix for confirmation.
If confirmed, it would be the eighth recorded impact at Jupiter since the first
in July 1994, when fragments of sundered Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 slammed into
the planet and left a trail of prominent dark scars.
Jupiter rotates rapidly, coming round in just under 10 hours. To find a
potential dark spot in the impact's wake, you'll need to know its latitude and
longitude. But because the planet isn't a rigid body, its rotation rate varies
some by latitude. Equatorial regions spin fastest and polar regions slower.
That's why three systems are used to determine a feature's longitude: System I
for locations within 10ø of the equator (for the current flash), System II for
all higher latitudes, and System III to match the rotation of the planet's
magnetosphere and Jupiter's official rotation rate. Often, all three longitudes
will be given for completeness.
Pereira captured the flash at latitude -5.5ø and longitude 105.7ø (System I /
L1), 83.3ø (System II / L2), and 273.4ø (System III / L3). To determine the
current or a future Jovian longitude in either system, use the Arkansas Sky
Observatory's Jupiter Central Meridian site and input the desired UT time.
Click here to convert your local time to UT.
Amateurs are encouraged to check any videos or photographs taken within 5
minutes of the impact time to confirm the event. I also hope you'll be watching
the site for any impact scar that might appear in the coming nights. Happily, a
dark marking should stand out well against the pale Equatorial Zone.
** Update September 15 - At least 7 observers independently saw or recorded the
flash according to Marc Delcroix. That includes 1 from Brazil, 2 from Germany,
3 from France and 1 from Italy. You'll find more French videos and still photos
here. A rough estimate of the impactor's size at puts it at around 100 meters
(328 feet).
____ __ ____ ___ _ _ ____ ____ ____ ____
( __)( )(___ \ / __)( \/ )( _ \ ( _ \( _ \/ ___)
) _) )( / __/( (_ \ ) / ) _ ( ) _ ( ) _ (\___ \
(____)(__)(____) \___/(__/ (____/ (____/(____/(____/
PART OF THE DONEGAL PACKET RADIO NETWORK
Packet: EI2GYB@EI2GYB.DGL.IRL.EURO
Email: EI2GYB@GMAIL.COM
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
