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Amateur astronomers spot new impact on Jupiter

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31–40 of 48 posts

Re: Amateur astronomers spot new impact on Jupiter

#31
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does one need to look at Jupiter, visible light or not? And how much would it cost to have a setup that I can feed some sky coordinates and enjoy the feed/s on a screen. Any useful software that also happens to be free and/or open source? I just realized I don't know anything about this fascinating stuff

To capture material similar to TFA, a 5" diameter (127 mm) telescope would do (here perhaps a larger one was used, but in bad seeing conditions [1]), e.g. a cheap $100-$200 Newtonian. Add a reasonable mount (~$400) and a camera (one can start with a converted webcam, or get a dedicated model - typically sporting higher FPS, better sensors, also mono, etc.; those start at $150-$200). A lot of popular software for moun…

Loved your shots!

Re: Amateur astronomers spot new impact on Jupiter

#33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was that really the leading theory you were taught? If you were 12, I'm the cause. There's been a few "big one" theories I've heard about. The impending California earthquake is a popular one, but I'm familiar with super volcanoes and asteroids too from childhood.

Yeah, I remember the same. I was 13 in 1994 and I remember the impact theory being taught as the cause well before the Shoemaker-Levy impact.

My experience as well. Sometimes education can lag well beyond scientific theory. The Scopes Monkey Trial happened in 1925, and evolution still isn’t being taught in many American schools.

Re: Amateur astronomers spot new impact on Jupiter

#34
post #2

https://twitter.com/MASA_06R/status/1696613936534360293?ref_...

If you can, you should: https://nitter.net/MASA_06R/status/1696613936534360293

Looks to me as if the shockwave from the impact may be visible as well, briefly spreading outwards.

Re: Amateur astronomers spot new impact on Jupiter

#35
post #9

I'm stunned that there is a not a constant recording of those bodies, with some image analysis to detect anomalies like this, done by some university.

The sky is big. Every telescope that can be used is looking at something.

The planets, save Earth, number only seven.

And Jupiter is the most likely of them to see impacts.

If nothing else, this would help give us a baseline for frequency.

Re: Amateur astronomers spot new impact on Jupiter

#36
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The sky is big. Every telescope that can be used is looking at something.

The planets, save Earth, number only seven. And Jupiter is the most likely of them to see impacts. If nothing else, this would help give us a baseline for frequency.

so you're saying we're not allowed to look at the rest of the universe so that we can solely focus on the low frequency of times an object collides with Jupiter? that seems like not a good use of all of the observation ability we have

Re: Amateur astronomers spot new impact on Jupiter

#37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The planets, save Earth, number only seven. And Jupiter is the most likely of them to see impacts. If nothing else, this would help give us a baseline for frequency.

so you're saying we're not allowed to look at the rest of the universe so that we can solely focus on the low frequency of times an object collides with Jupiter? that seems like not a good use of all of the observation ability we have

No, he’s saying one singular (small) telescope could be pointed at Jupiter at all times.

Not every telescope everywhere at once.

Re: Amateur astronomers spot new impact on Jupiter

#38
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

so you're saying we're not allowed to look at the rest of the universe so that we can solely focus on the low frequency of times an object collides with Jupiter? that seems like not a good use of all of the observation ability we have

No, he’s saying one singular (small) telescope could be pointed at Jupiter at all times. Not every telescope everywhere at once.

The Search for Terrestrial Intelligence scores a positive signal.

Adding one further factor to your list: there's all but certainly a direct correlation between major Jupiter strikes and Earth strikes. Refining estimates of the former will help in establishing values of the latter.

Though existing known power-law relations of meteor(ite) impacts on Earth of size vs. time are fairly well established as well, I suppose.

Re: Amateur astronomers spot new impact on Jupiter

#40
The widely believed claim, repeated in the first paragraph— that the gas giants are “protecting inner solar system worlds” is not necessarily true.

Though heavier planets are more likely to be hit they also serve to attract more matter into the region — some of which hits other planets.

Some well regarded models show that it’s approximately break-even… the losses and the wins cancel each other out. And in some runs of the simulation, if we’re unlucky, the losses greatly outweigh the wins.

I provide no reference to these claims, as I’m typing this from memory, with patchy internet, and leave it to y’all.

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