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Mystery Earth-size impact scar on Jupiter!
- Thread starter tjcampbell
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I am so glad that Jupiter is so large, has a large gravitational field, and can collect large objects and police them up.
Actually - you might want to google for science research done by a friend of mine from the Open University in Milton Keynes called 'Jupiter, Friend or Foe'. In turns out that Jupiter isn't quite the badge carrying 'RESPECT MAAAHH AUTHORATAHHHH' influence on Solar System evolution that it has always been assumed. Everyone just thought it was - no one studied the system as a whole to find out if it's true 
Nothing Mysterious about this at all really. It's just that we didn't see the impactor before it arrived. It looks to be about the size of one of the smaller SL9 impactors from the '90s - and I doubt we would have known SL9 was happening without it being a massive bright long string of ripped-apart comet fragments.
One thing for sure - as you cruise in past the Oort cloud - there should be a huge sign
"WARNING - SOLAR SYSTEM UNDER CONSTRUCTION"
It still is.
Nothing Mysterious about this at all really. It's just that we didn't see the impactor before it arrived. It looks to be about the size of one of the smaller SL9 impactors from the '90s - and I doubt we would have known SL9 was happening without it being a massive bright long string of ripped-apart comet fragments.
One thing for sure - as you cruise in past the Oort cloud - there should be a huge sign
"WARNING - SOLAR SYSTEM UNDER CONSTRUCTION"
It still is.
So how is it an object that big moving that fast got by our telescopes? If something like that gets by Jupiter and the other planets on its way to Earth, that doesn't leave us much time to react. The effects would be devestating, it would probably lead to the extinction of man. Oh well, back to work...
So how is it an object that big moving that fast got by our telescopes? If something like that gets by Jupiter and the other planets on its way to Earth, that doesn't leave us much time to react. The effects would be devestating, it would probably lead to the extinction of man. Oh well, back to work...
Hmmm ... sounds like it would make a crappy movie ...
Will Bruce Willis be ready when we need him?
Either him or Morgan Freeman better be.
But don't forget that even the gas giant planets like Jupiter are just tiny points in the massive empty space that is the solar system. And Earth is an even tinier points. There are lots of objects that been swinging through the solar system for billions of years without running into a planet.
Yeah, so it is possible that a large object can come and crash into the Earth, but quite improbable. And if it does happen, we could just say "well, isn't this ironic"
before we all burn in a worldwide fireball. And who knows, maybe sixty-five million years from now, a new species of intelligent rabbits could have evolved and started another worldwide technological civilization.
So how is it an object that big moving that fast got by our telescopes? If something like that gets by Jupiter and the other planets on its way to Earth, that doesn't leave us much time to react. The effects would be devestating, it would probably lead to the extinction of man. Oh well, back to work...
I think they said it was probably only about 35 miles across. Thats like trying to track a ant in a colony a mile away with binoculars
The Earth and every other planet's been hit countless times.
It's likely it will happen again and again and again. I think it's more of a when question than an if question. Sure we get missed lots, too but the inevitable's well, inevitable.Yeah, so it is possible that a large object can come and crash into the Earth, but quite improbable. And if it does happen, we could just say "well, isn't this ironic"
I hope Charlton Heston gets along with the Bunnies better than he got along with those Apes.
I think they said it was probably only about 35 miles across. Thats like trying to track a ant in a colony a mile away with binoculars
NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID TRACKING
We're tracking a lot smaller stuff. But I totally agree with your ant analogy. Hopefully those ants will be carrying a large pic-i-nic basket that's easily spotted by it's famous red and white checkered design.
If that were a dark spot instead of a bright one, I'd say there was no moving object or impact at all. I'd say...monoliths.
NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID TRACKING
We're tracking a lot smaller stuff. But I totally agree with your ant analogy. Hopefully those ants will be carrying a large pic-i-nic basket that's easily spotted by it's famous red and white checkered design.
Well i knew we did track stuff but there is so many things we don't just because it's so small, or we haven't spotted it yet.
What we need is a big freakn' laser to scan outer space.
If that were a dark spot instead of a bright one, I'd say there was no moving object or impact at all. I'd say...monoliths.
Ha!!!! Thank you, David.
Or a big Deflector Shield like the Death Star had:
And you can't have a pic of Admiral Akbar without the obligatory "It's a trap!" #4 on this page
The impactor that made that will be quite small - maybe a few hundred meters at most. Certainly not multiple KM's. It might have been a comet fragment, or a small asteroid.
Why didn't we see it coming? We're not looking - that's why.
Quite simply - we don't have enough telescopes with deep enough photon buckets to keep a track of everything out there. There are some automated asteroid hunting projects funding in the <$10m/year range - but it's not enough.
Jupiters gravity well is utterly huge compared to ours - it gets hit more often. But here's something to consider. If a 1km rock was headed to Earth and we had 5 years notice, as of now...
...there isn't a damn thing we could do about.
Why didn't we see it coming? We're not looking - that's why.
Quite simply - we don't have enough telescopes with deep enough photon buckets to keep a track of everything out there. There are some automated asteroid hunting projects funding in the <$10m/year range - but it's not enough.
Jupiters gravity well is utterly huge compared to ours - it gets hit more often. But here's something to consider. If a 1km rock was headed to Earth and we had 5 years notice, as of now...
...there isn't a damn thing we could do about.
I reckon the Earth-size impact scar was probably caused by the impact of an Earth-sized object. Mystery solved, gentlemen.
I reckon the Earth-size impact scar was probably caused by the impact of an Earth-sized object. Mystery solved, gentlemen.
Do you not think an Earth sized object, drifting through the solar system, may have been noticed.
I think some Jovians have blown something up.
An Earth sized scar, like the multiple Earth Size Scar's (tm) of the SL9 impact 15 odd year ago, would be cause by a 300-1000m impactor (although the smaller chunks of SL9 were not really measured)
It would depend on the colour of the said object. If it was black the same colour as space it would have been very hard to spot, especially if we were busy looking at Venus or something at the time.
Either that or those pesky Martians are playing up again...
I hope Charlton Heston gets along with the Bunnies better than he got along with those Apes.
His "Get your filthy paws off of me...." quote somehow doesn't seem so epic in that version....
