Amateur Astronomer Witnesses Jupiter Getting Smacked Around By Another Meteor [Astronomy]

Jupiter, our colorfully spotted gas giant neighbor was hit, again, by a meteor on Friday. The brief flash, which astronomers now think may happen slightly more frequently than previously thought, was captured on film by amatuer astronomer Masayuki Tashikawa:

Follow-up observations by Hubble, et al, have determined this is often almost always a legit impact, albeit person who won’t leave a blackened scar like the well-documented impact from July 2009.

Further observations might possibly be necessary to ensure beyond a doubt that this was indeed an impact and not some earth-bound satellite reflecting sunlight, but for now astronomers-professonal, amateur or otherwise-are fairly optimistic which is was. [MSNBC]

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This post is tagged: Amateur, astronomer, astronomy, Jupiter, meteor, Witnesses