An amateur astronomer using a home-made backyard telescope has discovered an Earth-sized smudge in Jupiter’s surface.
Wesley then e-mailed Nasa scientists in California who used a remotely controlled infrared telescope atop a mountain in Hawaii to explore the finding. They believe it is from the impact of a comet, but are not yet sure. Another theory is that it was caused by a falling block of ice.
The discovery came on both the 40th anniversary of the initial human moon landing, and the 15th anniversary of Jupiter being hit by a comet. On that occasion the impact had been widely anticipated and it was the first time such a collision had ever been seen as it occurred.
Because Jupiter is a gaseous planet, the spot will likely soon be torn apart by winds, meaning scientists will have to be fast to catch it. That rush will spark emergency applications for access to some of the world’s leading telescopes, including the space-based Hubble.
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