DISCOVERED

Earth-Sized Hole in Jupiter

Amateur astronomer spotted crater with home telescope.

The Apollo 11 crew would be proud: A day after the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing, an amateur astronomer in Australia spotted an Earth-sized hole in Jupiter that was apparently made early Tuesday morning. The "dark scar" was brought to the attention of NASA, which confirmed the impact. Scientists guess that it could have been caused by a comet. The man who made the discovery, Anthony Wesley, is a 44-year-old computer programmer who devotes about 20 hours a week to his hobby of "observing and photographing Jupiter." He spotted the impact using a "backyard 14.5-inch reflecting telescope." Wesley nearly missed the discovery because he was distracted by golfer Tom Watson's run in the British Open.