Jupiter, Europa, and Io

Lost for almost three months in the glare of the Sun, Jupiter was imaged
by MPIA astronomers on December 21, using the MAGIC infrared camera on 
the Calar Alto 3.5 meter telescope. 

This image shows a continuous band in the southern mid-latitudes 
corresponding to the location of the impact sites of Comet SL-9. The 
sites are now completely blended in longitude, a process that Calar Alto
astronomers (and others) observed over the two months following the 
collisions. The astronomers tuned the MAGIC camera to the 1.7 micron 
methane absorption feature to darken the jovian cloud deck and maximize 
contrast between the impact structures and the planetary disk. The band 
probably consists of material thrown far above the ammonia clouds of 
Jupiter during the July impact of the fragmented Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.
The band has not faded significantly since September, indicating that 
this ejecta may take years to settle out of the upper atmosphere. 

Image Information: 

21 December 1994, 7:00 UT  MAGIC Infrared Camera (256x256 HgCdTe 
Detector); 1.7 um CH4 absorption filter 3.5 m f/10 Calar Alto Telescope;
0.81 arcseconds / pixel 

Picture Credits: Tom Herbst, Peter Bizenberger, Steve Beckwith, Dave 
Thompson, (Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astronomie)), Doug Hamilton, 
(Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik) 

Contact People: Tom Herbst, Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astronomie, 
Heidelberg Doug Hamilton, Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, 
Heidelberg