Detection Of A Bolide In Jupiter'S Atmosphere With Juno Uvs

The Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) instrument on the Juno mission recorded transient bright emission from a point source in Jupiter's atmosphere. The spectrum shows that the emission is consistent with a 9600-K blackbody located 225 km above the 1-bar level and the duration of the emission was between 17 ms and 150 s. These characteristics are consistent with a bolide in Jupiter's atmosphere. Based on the energy emitted, we estimate that the impactor had a mass of 250-5,000 kg, which corresponds to a diameter of 1-4 m. By considering all observations made with Juno UVS over the first 27 perijoves of the mission, we estimate an impact flux rate of 24,000 per year for impactors with masses greater than 250-5,000 kg.Plain Language Summary UVS is an ultraviolet spectrograph on NASA's Juno spacecraft, which has been in orbit around Jupiter since 2016. In April 2020, UVS observed short-lived bright emission from a point source in Jupiter's atmosphere. The emission was consistent with a blackbody of temperature 9,600 K. We suggest that this was a fireball produced by a 250-5,000 kg meteoroid entering Jupiter's atmosphere.