Japanese amateur astronomer Tadao Ohsugi managed to capture a mysterious explosion in Jupiter’s atmosphere.
Scientist Ko Arimatsu, from Kyoto University, was contacted by Ohsugi to discover the causes of the phenomenon seen. Arimatsu coordinates a network of amateur astronomers and obtained six other reports of the same flash recorded on August 28 by Ohsugi.
See video:
According to initial analyses, the flash recorded by Ohsugi was the result of a violent impact – comparable to the so-called Tunguska event, in 1908, in Siberia, when an asteroid that collided with Earth destroyed 800 kilometers of forest.
Arimatsu stated that the event captured by Ohsugi was the second brightest flash observed on Jupiter in the last decade, second only to an episode reported in 2021, whose estimated energy would have been equivalent to that of two megatons of TNT dynamite.
Investigating these events helps us understand how Jupiter’s chemistry and temperature respond to impacts. Similar collisions may have been important in giving rise to other planets in our Solar System.
Astronomers focus on Jupiter because of its size, which makes it easier to see and makes the planet more likely to be impacted by cosmic debris. For this reason, Jupiter is a recurring target for amateur astronomers. Since 2010, nine reports have been recorded.
Characterizing these flashes is a crucial way of understanding the history of our Dollar System. They offer “a glimpse into the violent processes that occurred in the early days of our Solar System,” Leigh Fletcher, a planetary scientist at the University of Leicester in England, told The New York Times.
It’s like “seeing planetary evolution in action,” he added.
Source: CNN Brasil
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
