Related
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window)
A close-up with a scale shows the spot is about as wide as Canada. (NASA/ESA/H. Hammel/Jupiter Impact Team) The Hubble telescope's new camera has snapped a sharp image of Jupiter showing the scar left by a recent comet or asteroid crash.
The image released by NASA on Friday reveals an irregular, dark, elongated spot near the giant planet's south pole, about as wide as Canada. It was taken by the Wide Field Camera 3 on July 23 by a group of astronomers led by Heidi Hammel of the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.
The spot is a debris plume associated with turbulence in Jupiter's atmosphere, NASA reported, estimating it was caused by the impact of an object about the size of several football fields.
The image was taken with a new camera that was installed on the Hubble telescope by astronauts in May. (NASA/ESA/H. Hammel/Jupiter Impact Team) Hammel said in a statement that the image provides an "astonishing wealth of detail" about the impact site.
The spot was discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley on July 19.
Astronauts installed the new camera on Hubble in May when they repaired and upgraded the Hubble telescope, which orbits the Earth around 580 million kilometres from Jupiter.
It is not yet completely calibrated and fully operational, but the Hubble team decided to interrupt the calibration process to allow the new Jupiter image to be taken.
Hammel said her research team plans to learn more by combining data from the Hubble's visible light images with data from ground-based measurements of other kinds of radiation.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Graham James apologizes to sex-abuse victims
- Graham James, the former junior hockey coach and convicted sexual abuser whose victims included ex-NHLers Theoren Fleury and Sheldon Kennedy, has told a courtroom: "For my behaviour, I am deeply sorry.… Parents expected sons to be safe; not all were." more »
- Target dangles designer Jason Wu to lure Canadians
- Target Corporation's move into Canada, premiering with cheap fashions by hot designer Jason Wu, needs to promise and consistently deliver quality fashions at retail prices similar to U.S. rates, analysts say. more »
- Santorum, Romney spar in Republican debate
- Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum swapped accusations about spending and taxes Wednesday night in the 20th and possibly final debate of the roller-coaster race for the Republican presidential nomination. more »
- Qur'an burning riots kill 2 NATO soldiers
- Two NATO soldiers were shot and killed Thursday by a man wearing an Afghan army uniform who had joined protesters objecting to Qur'an burnings that took place at a U.S. base earlier in the week, says Reuters. more »
Latest Technology & Science News Headlines
- EU at stalemate on Canada's oilsands ranking
- European Union officials are at a stalemate after voting on whether to classify Canada's oilsands crude as more harmful to the environment than other fuels — a proposal that Canada would fight. more »
- Twitter head tells those who spend hours on site to stop
- To those of you who tweet and follow others on Twitter all the livelong day, the co-founder of the immensely popular social networking site has a message for you. more »
- Obama to spend $50 million to stop Asian carp
- The Obama administration will spend about $50 million in 2012 to shield the Great Lakes from greedy Asian carp and determine whether the destructive fish have established a foothold in Lakes Michigan and Erie. more »
- Online surveillance bill setup costs estimated at $80M
- It's going to cost at least $80 million to implement the government's lawful access bill to force internet and telecommunications service providers to collect customer information in case police need it for an investigation, CBC News has learned. more »
Bob McDonald's Blog
Canadian science on show in Vancouver Feb. 17, 2012 9:16 AM The largest annual gathering of scientists in the world is happening in Vancouver this week, as delegates from almost 60 countries assemble for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting. Canadians should be proud of our science, yet most people are unaware of the fine work that goes on from sea to shining sea.
Quirks & Quarks
- February 18: Guitar Hero, or Guitar Zero? Feb. 17, 2012 4:56 PM An NYU professor of psychology describes how he was able to learn to play the guitar in midlife in spite of a limited musical aptitude, and what it tells us about how our brains learn.
Latest Features
- Target set to alter Canadian retail landscape
- EU at stalemate on Canada's oilsands ranking
- Mountie who had sex with superior fights to keep job
- 'Faster than light' measurement blamed on loose cable
- Graham James apologizes to sex-abuse victims
- Fire at Vancouver restaurant goes to 3 alarms
- Qur'an burning riots kill 2 NATO soldiers
- Alleged B.C. rave rape victim seeks witnesses
- Santorum, Romney spar in Republican debate
