Image: Jupiter hit by comet

The planet Jupiter may have been hit by a comet. NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility took photos of the far gaseous planet and showed the section where it has apparently been struck by an object -- an object that scientists say could be a comet due to the dark scar in Jupiter's atmosphere near the south pole.

The Jupiter images also show bright upwelling particles in the atmosphere, detected in near-infrared wavelengths, as well as a warming of the upper troposphere with possible extra emission from ammonia gas detected at mid-infrared wavelengths.

NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility is located t the summit of the Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii.

Remote sensing image of Jupiter hit by a comet: