Last August, a strong flash was captured on Jupiter. The astronomy community presumes that it is a trace of an asteroid colliding with Jupiter./Tadao Osugi
An asteroid collided with Jupiter and created a strong explosion. There are expectations that it will be of great research value as it can reveal the intense reactions of the early environment in which the solar system was created.
The New York Times reported on the 15th (local time) that Japanese astronomers captured a sudden flash of strong light while observing Jupiter on the 28th of last month.
In an interview with the New York Times, Ko Arimatsu, a professor at Kyoto University in Japan, said, “This is a phenomenon that occurred when an asteroid or comet at the edge of the solar system affected Jupiter’s atmosphere,” and added, “It is a valuable phenomenon that allows us to study Jupiter directly.”
According to the results of analyzing Jupiter’s flash, it is highly likely that it is a trace of a collision between Jupiter and an asteroid. Professor Arimatsu analyzed that this phenomenon likely had a similar impact to the Tunguska eruption that occurred in Siberia in 1908. The explosion, believed to have been caused by an asteroid impact, burned down 2,150 square kilometers of forest in Siberia. The flash seen this time is estimated to have left behind the second strongest impact among collisions that have occurred on Jupiter in the past 10 years.
This is not the first time a flash has occurred on Jupiter. In 1994, the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet collided strongly with Jupiter, creating a pillar of fire reaching 3,000 km in height. In 2009, a comet crashed into Jupiter’s south pole, leaving a trace the size of the Pacific Ocean. Since 2010, there have been a total of 9 traces of such collisions on Jupiter.
The astronomy community expects to be able to examine the evolution of the solar system through traces of collisions observed on Jupiter. Ray Fletcher, a professor at the University of Leicester in the UK, said, “It is an opportunity to get a glimpse of the intense reactions that occurred in the early days of the solar system,” and explained, “It is like watching the process of planetary evolution.”
In particular, Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and is likely to be influenced by asteroids and comets. When a celestial object enters Jupiter from outside and impacts Jupiter, the chemical properties and temperature of the atmosphere change rapidly. In fact, some astronomers believe that Jupiter’s rings may have been created by collisions with other celestial bodies.
However, there is no system that can monitor collisions between Jupiter and other celestial bodies in real time. In fact, most collision cases so far have been discovered by amateur astronomers. Professor Fletcher said, “We cannot continuously observe Jupiter with large telescopes,” and added, “The role of amateur astronomers is also important for this mission.”
