Amateur astronomers capture three more asteroids impacting Jupiter

A PUNCH-drunk Jupiter has been observed taking more hits for the solar system team, with three massive fireballs captured on camera by amateur astronomers.

Jupiter

A PUNCH-drunk Jupiter has been observed taking more hits for the solar system team, with three massive fireballs captured on camera by amateur astronomers.

The European Planetary Science Congress has been told that backyard sky-watchers - including one from Australia - used digital cameras to captured three collisions of asteroids with the gas giant in the past three years.

Ricardo Hueso of the University of Basque, Spain, told the gathering of astronomers that it seemed Jupiter was hit by between 12 to 60 space rocks bigger than 10 metres every year.

"That is around 100 times more often than the Earth," he said.

The study of Jupiter's battering was based on observations from a collaboration between professional and amateur astronomers.

Anthony Wesley, amateur astronomer who has photographed asteroids crashing into Jupiter. Picture: Stefan Postles

Because the afterglow of an asteroid impact with Jupiter's upper atmosphere is only short lived and happen at unpredictable times, high-demand major telescopes such as Hubble tend not to be used in this hunt.

Once an impact is detected, often by amateurs, the big lenses are swung toward the gas giant to capture what they can of the aftermath.

Simulations of asteroids slamming into Jupiter's atmosphere show the high-velocity rocks disintegrating at temperatures greater than 10,000C.

A still from a simulation showing the disintegration of an asteroid as it enters Jupiter's atmosphere.