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Showing posts from July, 2009

Giant "scar" on Jupiter spotted by Aussie stargazer

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ue Jul 21, 1:28 am ET CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) – A large comet or asteroid has slammed into the Jupiter , creating an impact site the size of Earth, pictures by an Australian amateur astronomer show. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirmed the discovery using its large infrared telescope at the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii , said computer programer Anthony Wesley, 44, who discovered the impact zone while stargazing at home. News of Wesley's find on a backyard 14.5-inch reflecting telescope has stunned the astronomy world, with scientists saying the impact will last only days more. Wesley said it took him 30 minutes to realize a dark spot rotating in Jupiter's clouds on July 19 was actually the first impact seen by astronomers since a comet collided with the giant planet in July 1994. "I thought (it) likely to be just a normal dark polar storm," he said on his website www.acquerra.com.au/astro . "However as it rotated further into view and the conditions