Debris Field of the July 19, 2009, Impact in Jupiter and Its Long-term Evolution

Authors

Glenn S. Orton PhD, California Institute of Technology
Anthony Wesley PhD, Acquerra Pty. Ltd.
Olivier Mousis PhD, Observatoire de Besançon
Leigh N. Fletcher PhD, University of Oxford
Padmavati Yanamandra-Fisher PhD, Space Science Institute
Bonnie Fisher PhD, California Institute of Technology
Amy A. Simon-Miller PhD, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Zachary Greene, University of California
Imke de Pater PhD, University of California
Heidi B. Hammel PhD, Space Science Institute
Nicholas Reshetnikov PhD, Harvard University
E Otto, The Ohio State University
Samuel Lai PhD, University of California
Jonathan Rodgers PhD, Cambridge University
Agustin Sánchez-Lavega PhD, Universidad del País Vasco
Santiago Perez-Hoyos PhD, Universidad del País Vasco
Ricardo Hueso PhD, Universidad del País Vasco
William F. Golisch PhD, University of Hawaii
David M. Griep PhD, University of Hawaii
P Sears PhD, University of Hawaii
Michael M. Shara PhD, American Museum of Natural History
Leslie A. Young PhD, Southwest Research Institute
Will Grundy PhD, University of Hawaii
Nicholas Moskovitz PhD, University of Hawaii
Andrew S. Rivkin PhD, Johns Hopkins University
Vishnu Reddy PhD, University of North Dakota
Joshua P. Emery PhD, University of TennesseeFollow
David E. Trilling PhD, Northern Arizona University
Julie Ziffer PhD, University of Southern MaineFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-2009

Publication Title

American Geophysical Union

Abstract

A multi-platform suite of imaging and spectroscopic observations of Jupiter's atmosphere tracked the evolution of the debris field of an unknown impactor on 2009 July 19. The initial debris field is similar to those of intermediate Shoemaker-Levy 9 fragments, suggesting a body hundreds of meters in size, if icy, entering from the west and slightly north. The field is detectable in the visible as dark material and in the near-IR by high-altitude particulate reflectivity; it was quickly redistributed by different zonal flows across its latitudinal range. At first, the particulate field was highly correlated with areas of enhanced temperatures and enhanced ammonia and ethane emission, but this was no longer true by mid-August. As of Sept. 2, the debris field was undetectable in the thermal, detectable in the visible with good seeing, and still prominent near 2 microns wavelength. Visibly, the impact "scar" consists of two dark regions along the same latitude, ostensibly different from the central bright region associated with the near-IR debris pattern. Both morphologies show eastern and western extensions propagating away from the original impact site, which appear to be influenced by flows around vortices previously undetected in Jupiter atmosphere. These observations define the flow field just north of Jupiter's southern polar vortex at higher altitudes than tracked in Jupiter's main cloud deck.

Recommended Citation

Orton, Glenn & Wesley, A. & Mousis, Olivier & Fletcher, Leigh & Yanamandra-Fisher, P. & Fisher, Bonnie & Simon, Amy & Greene, Z. & Pater, I. & Hammel, H. & Reshetnikov, N. & Otto, E. & Lai, S. & Rogers, J. & Sanchez-Lavega, A. & Perez-Hoyos, Santiago & Hueso, Ricardo & Golisch, W. & Griep, D. & Ziffer, Julie. (2009). Debris Field of the July 19, 2009, Impact in Jupiter and Its Long-term Evolution. AGU Fall Meeting 2009.