Jupiter Rocked Again

For at least the second time in less than a year, Jupiter has been hit by a body, probably an asteroid. Amateur astronomer Andrew Wesley of Australia alerted the world to both collisions.

Two events in less than a year could well mean that Jupiter is hit more often than astronomers assume. Given the giant planet's huge, powerful gravitational field, a number of strikes is understandable; Jupiter sucks up bodies that come too close at the wrong angle, or with insufficient speed to break free.

The strikes are also a cautionary tale, however. Earth is also in danger of being hit. Earth's gravity is not nearly as strong as Jupiter's, but it is the strongest in the inner Solar System, which means it, too, could funnel bodies that come too close directly into the surface of the planet.