Posts Tagged ‘impact’
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This Hubble picture, taken on July 23, by the new Wide Field Camera 3, is the sharpest visible-light picture taken of the atmospheric debris from a comet or asteroid that collided with Jupiter on July 19. This is Hubble’s first science observation following its repair and upgrade in May. The size of the impactor is estimated to be as large as several football fields. (Credit: NASA, ESA, and H. Hammel/Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo., and the Jupiter Impact Team)
U. WASHINGTON (US)—The huge scar that appeared on Jupiter’s surface on July 19—likely evidence of a comet impact—is a reminder of Earth’s history with comet collisions. While most agree an asteroid strike 65 million years ago did in the dinosaurs, new research indicates it is highly unlikely that comets have been responsible for more than one such extinction event. Continue…
