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(meteorobs) Off topic... impacts on Jupiter
Greetings all...
This was on the RASC list this morning... Bit off-topic, comet-related, but
probably of interest to many meteor crew with scopes...
- Cathy
Ottawa, Canada
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 17:45:20 +0400
>From: ROY BISHOP <roy.bishop@acadiau.ca>
>To: Multiple recipients of list hfxrasc <hfxrasc@astrotech.stmarys.ca>
>Subject: Halifax RASC List: SL9 impacts Jupiter once more?
>
>Roy here;
>
>Last evening (Thursday) I had a call from David Levy. He said that
>a new dark spot has been seen on Jupiter and that it is possibly an
>impact from a piece of SL9 that missed in July 1994. He had not
>seen the spot as of last evening.
>
>I looked at Jupiter shortly after it rose last night (about 11:45 pm)
>and did not see any spot. I awoke at 5:30 this morning (without an
>alarm clock!) to have a look at the other side of Jupiter and
>immediately saw a very small black spot near Jupiter's meridian on
>the S edge of the first faint band S of the large S equatorial band
>(perhaps at about S latitude 20 degrees(?)). 10 minutes later it had
>noticeably rotated with Jupiter away from the meridian. I could see
>it in all three of my telescopes (444 mm, 200 mm, and 100 mm,
>although in the smallest telescope it was distinct but not obvious
>due to its tiny size).
>
>According to the Observer's Handbook, no shadows of the Galilean
>satellites were in transit while I was looking at the new dark spot
>(from 5:30 to 6:15 this morning, Friday, Aug. 7).
>
>David (Levy) said that if there was an unexpended fragment of SL9,
>now is the time when it would be near Jupiter.
>
>Has anyone else seen the spot or have any other information on
>this apparent encore to an historic event?? Since it is located in
>System II on Jupiter where Jupiter rotates 36.26 degrees/hour, the
>spot should be near Jupiter's meridian at 1:30 am Saturday
>morning (i.e. tonight). I shall be looking!
....
> Roy Bishop