Astronomers Look for Clues in the Wake of the Jupiter Collision

Something invaded our solar system and whacked Jupiter, but professional astronomers were looking the other way at the time. Now, as the shock wave slowly subsides, astronomers are working around the clock to find out exactly what hit Jupiter–and why they didn't see it coming.
By Andrew Moseman
July 31, 2009

The biggest astronomy sighting of the year happened last week, and the world's professional astronomers missed it. Anthony Wesley, an amateur astronomer from Australia, spotted a tiny dark patch on Jupiter from his backyard telescope. Something had crashed into the solar system's largest planet, but no one saw exactly what it was. By the time Wesley called the pros, only the scar was left behind, evidence that couuld change or fade into oblivion at any time. Now scientists are racing to find clues of what happened and solve the mystery before it's too late. the rest image-NASA