Hobbies And Interests
Cassini's Comet
In 1997, researchers at the Astronomical Society of Japan undertook a study of historical planetary surveys conducted by ancient astronomers. Looking at drawings made over an 18-day observational period by astronomer G. Cassini in 1690, they discovered a dark spot on the planet that seemed to stretch to the east, indicating possible ejecta from an impact event being blown by prevailing winds. This evidence, while not conclusive, suggests a possible impact event around that time.
Shoemaker-Levy 9
In mid July of 1994, Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 was observed passing into the gravity well of Jupiter and being broken apart by its tidal forces. From July 16 through July 22, the fragments of the comet collided with the planet's surface. It was the first direct observation of an impact event on a planet other than Earth. The "scars" from the collision were visible for months, and at their height they were more visible than the Great Red Spot.
2009 Impact Event
On July 19, 2009, amateur Australian astronomer Anthony Wesley observed a large black blot the size of Earth in the southern polar region of Jupiter's surface. He contacted NASA regarding the discovery, and they later confirmed his findings. Because of the size of the scar and the volume of ejecta from the impact, NASA scientists speculated that it could have been made by the impact from a comet, but stressed the the evidence was not conclusive.
2010 Impact Event
On June 3 , 2010, Anthony Wesley made headlines once again as he caught an impact event live on film. The strike was described as a superbolide impact (i.e. a very big one) near the planet's equator by an object roughly 26 1/2 to 43 feet in diameter. Candidates for the impactor include a comet, an asteroid, a meteor or a temporary satellite capture, though owing to the lack of closer observations, it is impossible to determine its nature with any certainty.