[News] Amateur Astronomers Catch Explosion on Jupiter's Surface

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Frank

Frank

via space.com

An apparent impact on Jupiter early Monday (Sept. 10) created a fireball on the planet so large and bright that amateur astronomers on Earth spotted the flash.
Click to expand...
So, hey, fuck. Here's a gif of the pop.



And a size comparison of Earth for a little bit of thank ALMIGHTY SCIENCE for big brother Jupiter looking out for us.

 
GasBandit

GasBandit

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"An apparent impact on Jupiter"

Impact ON JUPITER?

JUPITER HAS NO SURFACE

Wouldn't the correct phrasing be an impact within Jupiter's atmosphere?
 
Jay

Jay

So if an asteroid the size of earth would hit Jupiter.... wouldn't it go right through it?
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

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Yeah, at some point either the pressure crushes an object or the density of atmosphere buffeting the object breaks it up.

There is, however, a core of something deep under all that. I guess you could call that a "surface" if you want to.
 
strawman

strawman

Jupiter is about 90% hydrogen, and 10% helium (75/25 by mass, since helium is more mass).

The gaseous compounds get denser as you get to the center, and you run into liquid helium and hydrogen, then metalic liquid hydrogen and chunks of metals.

Despite these elements being in liquid form, the closer you get to the center the hotter everything is.

So if something were to crash into Jupiter, it would hit the dense atmosphere, and splash into the liquid center. Depending on its density and composition it may boil some material off and melt, or end up as chunks of stuff floating around the liquid center.

It would not pass through.
 
Gusto

Gusto

Jupiter has a core of liquid metallic hydrogen.

An asteroid the size of Earth would have sufficient gravity for accretion to form a planet or planetoid, meaning it would likely orbit its host star. If the host star collapsed or nova'd or the multibillion-year perturbation caused the planet to to be flung out its system into OURS, it crashing into Jupiter would be the least of our problems. :)
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
Just the other day I was badmouthing Jupiter. I was all like, "That mother fucker thinks he's all that with his no-surface gaseous self! Not like he ever did anything for us while we were sending shit to him to check him out!"

Then he goes and does something like this. He didn't ask for nothin'. He just stood in the way and protected us.

I'm sorry, man. I take it all back. You all right in my book, J-Dawg.
 
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