Brazilian amateur astronomer José Luis Pereira discovered that Jupiter may be hit by a new impact at around 22:39 UTC on the 13th. Although the weather was not good at the time, he suspected that he saw something, and then used DeTeCt software to search for possible flashes. As a result, what he saw was probably an impact event. DeTeCt software is an impact flash detection tool that can analyze images of Jupiter and Saturn to search for potential flashes caused by small celestial impacts, and analyze and estimate the impact frequency.
If confirmed, this will be the eighth record since Jupiter has been impacted. Jupiter’s first impact was recorded by Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (Shoemaker-Levy 9) due to Jupiter’s strong gravitational pull. The fragments hit Jupiter’s southern hemisphere on July 16, 1994, leaving a string of obvious black scars. The astronomical spectacle of a comet hitting Jupiter is also the first direct observation of a solar system celestial body collision event.
Jupiter is the planet with the fastest rotation in the solar system, with a rotation period of less than 10 hours. Therefore, to find potential black spots after an impact, you need to know the latitude and longitude. However, Jupiter is a gas giant planet whose rotation speed varies with latitude. The rotation speed is the fastest in the equatorial region and slower in the north and south regions. This is why three systems are used as the frame of reference. System I is applicable within 10° of the equator, that is, the range of latitude 10°N to 10°S (applicable to the flashes discovered this time); System II is applicable to all higher latitude regions; System III corresponds to the planetary magnetospheric rotation speed, which is also the current official cycle of Jupiter’s rotation. Usually for completeness, all three longitudes are given.
Pereira captures flashes at latitude -5.5° and longitude 105.7° (system I/L1), 83.3° (system II/L2), and 273.4° (system III/L3). If confirmed, the most likely explanation is an asteroid or comet impact.
(This article is reprinted with permission from the Taipei Planetarium; the highlight in the first picture is the flash event, source: video screenshot)
