SKY & TELESCOPE'S NEWS BULLETIN -- JULY 23, 1994

COMET IMPACTS OVER?

It's over.

Or is it? The last known chunk of the comet, W, hit Jupiter around 4 a.m. Friday morning Eastern time. But smaller debris that was in the comet's southwestern tail will keep plowing into Jupiter for weeks.

Moreover, after July 27th, this stuff will hit on the NEAR side in full view from Earth. Any good-size chunks might cause visible flares. The most pieces, and the largest ones, should come soonest. The debris will grow sparser, and the pieces smaller, as days and weeks go by. The material will keep hitting near the celestial east limb at sites gradually moving north. So keep Jupiter under watch, and be ready to note the time to the second if you see a definite flare.

And, of course, there are still the black spots! Spot A is already fading, suggesting they may last only a few more days. Get 'em while they're hot.

Here are predicted times when impact sites cross Jupiter's central meridian this weekend. These are in Eastern Daylight Time:

Here are transit times for Saturday night July, 23-24:
 
   T       6:26 p.m. EDT
E and V    6:49
   A       7:43
   C       8:44
   K      10:19
   U      10:25
   W      10:29
   L      12:13 a.m. EDT
   G       1:17 a.m.
   D       1:28
   S       1:33
   R       1:43
   Q       2:13
   H       3:18
   F       4:11
   T       4:21 a.m. EDT Sunday morning
 
And here are times for Sunday night, July 24-25:
 
   U       6:16 p.m. EDT
   W       6:20 p.m.
   L       8:04
   G       9:08
   D       9:19
   S       9:24
   R       9:34
   Q      10:04
   H      11:09
   F      12:02 a.m. EDT
   T      12:12 a.m.
E and V   12:35
   A       1:30
   C       2:30
   K       4:05
   U       4:11
   W       4:16 a.m. EDT Monday morning

Some spots have been much bigger, darker, and more visible than others. Big ones to watch for include H, K, L, and the G-S-R-Q complex.

You can extend these predictions for several days by repeatedly adding Jupiter's rotation period: 9 hours 56 minutes.

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