Collision Leaves Jupiter Bruised

This picture shows a dark smudge at bottom right where debris from a comet or asteroid plunged into Jupiter's atmosphere and disintegrated. In addition to the impact site, the image reveals a spectacular variety of shapes in the swirling atmosphere of Jupiter. The planet is wrapped in bands of yellow, brown, and white clouds. These bands are produced by the atmosphere flowing in different directions at various latitudes. When these opposing flows interact, turbulence appears. Later evidence would indicate that an asteroid rather than a comet impacted the planet.