Actually, there is a UT article that says:

By using the full set of Gemini images taken over a range of wavelengths from 8 to 18 microns, the team will be able to disentangle the effects of temperature, ammonia abundance, and upper atmospheric aerosol content. Comparing these Gemini observations with past and future images will permit the team to study the evolution of features as Jupiter’s strong winds disperse them.

this proves Jupiter, like Pluto, is not actually a planet. That’s because it hasn’t “cleared its orbit” of debris yet.

So did that person have evidence of that the remaining material masses more than Jupiter itself, thus failing the clearance condition?

@ dhtroy:

I’m curious, just how much science do we collect and learn from impacts like this one on Jupiter? I realize we have to learn something, I’m just wondering, “what”, exactly.

I’m not an expert, but I assume it would be possible to glean information about density and composition of lower atmospheric layers, see Chris A. description of “producing a plume shooting back the way the impactor came.” (# 71.)

Much obliged. Look at that, you *do* learn something new every day.

The following website has a pretty good summary of what we can see from down in the Southern Hemisphere…
home.mira.net/~reynella/skywatch/ssky.htm

But seriously, kind of, with its huge mass big Jupe is a vacuum cleaner of the solar system. It sucks. I mean that in a good way. What is remarkable is that we haven’t seen MORE impacts than this and S-L9. We probably will now with people on the alert.

I keep thinking we have a better chance to get composition of asteroids / comets from spectra of rocks running into jupiter than trying to get a probe mission there. Does anyone know if it’s possible to get good spectra from that or is there too much atmosphere and general jovian system junk floating around? I’m thinking a little spectroscope that could stare at jupiter all day/ night…

And above all, what if this was a “chain” group of objects that impacted Jupiter, but some of the rest of a the chain missed the “keyhole” as it were… Should be be the least bit worried about something getting into the inner system?

First of all, the term “gas giant” is a misnomer. Jupiter (and Saturn, for that matter) are mostly liquid (by volume).

More to the point, space rocks hitting Jupiter or Saturn go from vacuum (space) to atmosphere, producing enormous ram pressure in front of them because of their gigantic velocities. It’s the same reason you die if you fall into water from a great height–the “impact” is the fact that the water can’t get out of your way fast enough, producing horrific deceleration forces. Or in this case, the atmosphere can’t get out of the way fast enough. Friction doesn’t enter into it.

Computer simulations of such impacts reveal a tube of underdense, superheated gas along the impactor’s entry path. Being relatively emptied of gas by the passage of the impactor drilling into the atmosphere, this tube “backfills” when the atmospheric pressure around it takes over shortly after the impactor burns up, producing a plume shooting back the way the impactor came.

What exactly would the difference be between that earth-sized rock and our earth-sized rock? Is it just the orbit?

Because I already don’t think there is – but I’m suspecting lots of people will make a connection. Astrologers will be in for a busy few weeks.