Of Course Not

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Of Course Not

Marsby — 7/22/2009 3:36:08 AM (archived)

Comets light up around Jupiter's orbit. SL9 was detected after it passed close to Jupiter and fragmented. This is why real astronomers say you can't detect long period comets with enough lead time to do anything about them. I am of course assuming it was a comet, but a small asteroid is also hard to detect at that distance. Most NEA's of potential threat have closest approaches inside Mars orbit. That's more than three times as close as Jupiter in case you don't know that either.

Regards,
Mark

The whole thread (20 posts)

Is it true? Jupiter has been hit again by a large object? (n/t) - Jefferson-Washington - 7/21/2009 2:25:38 AM
- Statistical aberration or? - Buck Galaxy - 7/22/2009 6:16:08 AM
  - I recall that many pro astronomers thought that the 1994 event was a 1 in 300 year event. - Jefferson-Washington - 7/22/2009 6:55:48 PM
  - re: Statistical aberration or? - REB - 7/22/2009 12:41:24 PM
    - Then theer's justification to send another craft to take another close look at Jupiter's moons. (n/t) - Jefferson-Washington - 7/22/2009 6:58:33 PM
- Hale Bopp on the 25th, now this on the 40th? Woah! - Lee - 7/21/2009 3:33:30 AM
  - I meant Shoemaker-Levy 9 (n/t) - Lee - 7/21/2009 3:34:59 AM
- Confirmed - Nick Hoffman - 7/21/2009 3:01:59 AM
  - Good to see Jupiter is still playing janitor to the Solar System - TB - 7/21/2009 9:13:07 PM
    - google "Jupiter, Friend or Foe" - It's not as clear cut as you think :) (n/t) - Doug Ellison - 7/22/2009 8:19:03 AM
      - I didn't have that information. Thanks! (n/t) - TB - 7/22/2009 7:33:24 PM
  - Outrage in amature comunity over JPL's comments - RobVG - 7/21/2009 8:41:29 PM
    - Frakin' A! B, C, and D, too! - phil - 7/21/2009 10:05:38 PM
  - I'm stunned. I am almost tempted to say this passes coincidence - Jefferson-Washington - 7/21/2009 4:37:11 PM
  - and NOT DETECTED before it hit. (n/t) - E.P. - 7/21/2009 3:46:44 PM
    - Of Course Not - Marsby - 7/22/2009 3:36:08 AM
  - Confirmed by NASA JPL - phil - 7/21/2009 1:17:34 PM
    - Jupiter HOOVER - carl - 7/22/2009 2:14:28 PM
  - "discovering that a rare comet or asteroid the size of Earth had crashed into Jupiter" - Marsby - 7/21/2009 3:24:38 AM
    - The "scar" is the size of planet Earth - Nick Hoffman - 7/21/2009 6:42:32 AM

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