An Australian Observatory reports that there is a slight change of a comet hitting Mars sometime in October, 2014, reports Slash Gear.
Astronomers reported earlier that Jupiter was been hit by pieces of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 that broke from the comet. The planet cut these parts into pieces due to its massive gravity. And due to Jupiter's thick atmosphere the impact of the collision could not be seen. The effects of the collision on the planet remained a mystery.
Astronomers are hoping that they may be able to see the impact of a similar collision in 2014 when there is a probability of a comet hitting the Martian surface. They hope that satellites present in orbit will be able to gather enough information for scientists that could be helpful. Scientists are more interested in observing the effect on the Mars after the hit since it doesn't have a thick atmosphere like Jupiter, the report said.
The comet was spotted by the Australian Observatory and is named C/2013 A1 earlier in January this year. Astronomers from the observatory said that there is a possibility that the comet may not even collide with the Red Planet and just pass by.
"There is a small but non-negligible chance that Comet 2013 A1 will strike Mars next year in October of 2014," said Don Yeomans of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Current solutions put the odds of impact at 1 in 2000."
NASA said that the comet is about 1 to 3 kilometers wide and is presently traveling at a speed of 56 kilometers per second.
"I think of it as a giant climate experiment," said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA headquarters. "An impact would loft a lot of stuff into the Martian atmosphere - dust, sand, water and other debris. The result could be a warmer, wetter Mars than we're accustomed to today."
