Did Something Hit Saturn? Astronomers Investigate Possible Impact Flash

Astronomers are investigating a mysterious flash spotted on Saturn that may be the first recorded instance of a space object crashing into the ringed planet, according The Independent. The phenomenon was captured on July 5 by Mario Rana, a NASA employee and amateur astronomer, who filmed a brief glow on Saturn's disc. The footage, now under review by the Planetary Virtual Observatory and Laboratory (PVOL), is part of the DeTeCt project, which monitors gas giants for signs of collisions.

"Marc Delcroix reports a potential impact in Saturn captured in a few frames in a video observation obtained by Mario Rana. The potential impact would be very faint and is unconfirmed," PVOL said in a statement quoted by outlet.

They added: "The very short impact flash occurred on Saturn between 9 am and 9.15 am UTC. It is very important to get other videos of Saturn taken during that time frame."

Unlike rocky planets where asteroid impacts leave visible craters, gas giants like Saturn have outer layers of hydrogen and helium that can absorb impacts without obvious traces. According to IFL Science, astronomers estimate that large objects - over 1 kilometre wide - strike Saturn only once every 3,125 years.

Smaller meteoroids are thought to hit more often. IFL Science noted that past data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft suggested Saturn's rings act as a massive impact detector, registering ripples caused by incoming debris.

"Current-day impact rates for small particles at Saturn are about the same as those at Earth - two very different neighbourhoods in our solar system - and this is exciting to see," said Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a 2013 remark cited by IFL Science.

Though unconfirmed, the July 5 flash could offer rare visual evidence of such an event. PVOL is urging astronomers worldwide to review their recordings from the same window to help verify the sighting.

If confirmed, the impact would mark a first-of-its-kind observation, shedding new light on the dynamic nature of Saturn's atmosphere and the frequency of cosmic collisions in our solar system.