Jupiter Bashed Yet Again

For the third time in thirteen months, observers have documented a body slamming into Jupiter. This time, two amateur astronomers in Japan saw a flash that seemed to have been a fireball exploding high in the Jovian atmosphere. No mark was subsequently seen on the planet, so astronomers theorize the object didn't penetrate too far into the giant planet's thick, complex atmosphere.

This rash of collisions has some astronomers suggesting they need to rethink the frequency of such events. That could not only change how we view the dynamics of the area of space that Jupiter's immense gravity influences; it could also lead to a re-evaluation of the threat such collisions pose to Earth.