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 1. Home
 2. News
 3. Skywatching

Jupiter hit by another space rock in rare views captured by Japanese
skywatchers

By Meghan Bartels 21 October 2021

Skywatchers spotted a similar impact just last month.

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It's tough to be the biggest planet in the solar system, and this
fall Jupiter is taking a beating.

On Friday (Oct. 15), skywatchers in Japan observed a flash in the
atmosphere of the planet's northern hemisphere likely caused by an
asteroid slamming into Jupiter, just over a month after a skywatcher
in Brazil made a similar observation.

"The flash felt like it was shining for a very long time to me,"
Twitter user @yotsuyubi21, who photographed the flash with a
Celestron C6 telescope, told Space.com.

Related: Jupiter just got smacked by a space rock and an amateur
astronomer caught it on camera

    10Yue 15Ri 22:24(JST)niFa Sheng shita, Mu Xing Biao Mian heXiao Tian Ti gaChong Tu shitaShun Jian noShan 
    Guang nitsuite, PONCOTSGuan Ce shisutemuwoYong iteKe Shi 500-750nmJi bi889nmmeta
    nbandoniyoruTong Shi Guan Ce niShi Shang Chu meteCheng Gong shimashita. 2Se Tong Shi niDe rare
    taShan Guang noHua Xiang wokokoniChu Gong Kai itashimasu.  pic.twitter.com/Hs2wJp0s5F
    October 17, 2021

See more

They confirmed the observation with a team led by Ko Arimatsu, an
astronomer at Japan's Kyoto University who takes part in the
Organized Autotelescopes for Serendipitous Event Survey (OASES)
project.

According to a tweet posted by the project, that observation included
two different types of light, visible and infrared, giving Jupiter an
eerie pink glow.

An observer captured a flash on Jupiter on Oct. 15, 2021, as seen in
Japan with a Celestron C6.

An observer captured a flash on Jupiter on Oct. 15, 2021, as seen in
Japan with a Celestron C6. (Image credit: Twitter user @yotsuyubi21)

Jupiter regularly experiences such impacts because of the powerful
gravitational tug associated with its mass: Smaller objects, like the
asteroids that litter the solar system, can easily end up pulled into
the planet's thick, turbulent atmosphere.

Some research suggests that objects at least 150 feet (45 meters)
across hit Jupiter every few months on average, although
observational constraints mean that even the most thorough monitoring
program might be able to catch just one impact or so per year.

Related stories:

-- Something just smacked Jupiter and here's the photo to prove it
-- Astronomers get the goods on Jupiter-smacking space rock
-- Jupiter just got hit by a comet or asteroid ... again (video) 

According to Sky & Telescope, the Oct. 15 flash hit the planet's
North Tropical Zone, near the southern edge of the North Temperate
Belt.

Observers aren't yet sure whether the impact left a debris field that
scientists can monitor; the September flash did not, and several
factors including the object's size and the impact's location factor
into observability.

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her on Twitter @
meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions,
night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or
comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Meghan Bartels
Meghan Bartels

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Senior Writer

Meghan is a senior writer at Space.com and has more than five years'
experience as a science journalist based in New York City. She joined
Space.com in July 2018, with previous writing published in outlets
including Newsweek and Audubon. Meghan earned an MA in science
journalism from New York University and a BA in classics from
Georgetown University, and in her free time she enjoys reading and
visiting museums. Follow her on Twitter at @meghanbartels.

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