The image of an asteroid striking Jupiter was captured with the Planetary Observation Camera for Optical Transient Surveys (PONCOTS) telescope operated by Kyoto University on October 15, 2021. Previous impacts have always been observed by amateur astronomers, so this record marks the first time an impact has been scientifically observed.
You can watch the video of the crash below:
The research team calculated the mass of the impactor at 4.1 million kilograms . According to calculations based on its mass, its size is estimated to be between 15-30 meters. It’s not huge when we look at it on a space scale, but it’s big enough to heat up 8,000 degrees when it hits Jupiter. This information also gives clues about the structure of the meteorite. Gathering information about such impacts is important, as we may one day use this information when a comet or asteroid starts heading towards Earth.
It is stated that the glare caused by the impact is at least 10 times brighter than observations made so far. It also gives you the opportunity to calculate how often something hits Jupiter. This figure is quite high compared to Earth, thought to be about 100 to 1,000 times higher.
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