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Faint Glow in Saturn… Did a Mystery Object Crash into the Gas Giant on Saturday?

New image captured by a NASA employee and amateur astronomer appears to show a space object crashing into Saturn for the first time. Photo: NASA
New image captured by a NASA employee and amateur astronomer appears to show a space object crashing into Saturn for the first time. Photo: NASA
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Faint Glow in Saturn… Did a Mystery Object Crash into the Gas Giant on Saturday?

New image captured by a NASA employee and amateur astronomer appears to show a space object crashing into Saturn for the first time. Photo: NASA
New image captured by a NASA employee and amateur astronomer appears to show a space object crashing into Saturn for the first time. Photo: NASA

Astronomers have called for help to identify a mystery object that may have hit Saturn on Saturday in what could be the first recorded instance of a space object crashing on to the gas giant.

Studies suggest large objects- measuring over a kilometer across – strike Saturn once every 3,125 years on an average, according to The Independent.

Although data shows seven or eight small space rocks hit the planet every year, none have been spotted in the act by astronomers so far.

Compared to rocky planets where cosmic collisions leave impact craters, gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn don’t reveal such signs.

But a new image captured by a Nasa employee and amateur astronomer Mario Rana appears to show a space object crashing into Saturn for the first time.

Since gas giants have outer layers made of hydrogen and helium, strikes by asteroids or comets can quickly fade out.

Rana is part of the DeTeCt project, which analyzes images of Jupiter and Saturn using computer software. Videos taken of Saturn by the astronomer last Saturday show a faint glow in the left side of the footage, which seems like an impact event.

The Planetary Virtual Observatory and Laboratory, or PVOL, a consortium of professional and amateur astronomers, has called for experts in the field to attempt to confirm or refute the potential impact on Saturn.

“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.

“The very short impact flash occurred on Saturn on 5 July 2025, between 9am and 9.15am UT. It is very important to get other videos of Saturn taken during that time frame.”

PVOL has urged astronomers who may have also captured observations from this time to contact Delcroix and submit their data.

Leigh N Fletcher, a planetary science professor at the University of Leicester, also called for amateur space observers to share any potential videos they may have of the impact.

“Amplifying the call from Marc Delcroix and co over the weekend: the team are looking to verify/refute a potential impact on Saturn on 5 July, 9am to 9.15am UT,” Dr Fletcher wrote on BlueSky.

“Videos taken by amateur observers at that time might hold the key.”

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Varieties

Syrian Artists Transform Bombed-out House into Mural of Remembrance, in Photos

A group of Syrian graffiti artists paint a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A group of Syrian graffiti artists paint a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
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Syrian Artists Transform Bombed-out House into Mural of Remembrance, in Photos

A group of Syrian graffiti artists paint a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A group of Syrian graffiti artists paint a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

In the war-ravaged town of Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, a group of young Syrian artists has turned the ruins of a bombed-out house into a canvas of remembrance. On the collapsed ceiling, they painted a colorful graffiti mural honoring families lost during years of conflict, The AP news reported.

The project was led by Bilal Shoraba, seen in a yellow T-shirt, who was an activist and graffiti artist during the Syrian army’s siege of Daraya between 2012 and 2016. During that time, when the city became a center of resistance to then-President Bashar Assad’s rule, Shoraba created about 30 graffiti works as quiet acts of defiance.

Assad was ousted in a lightning rebel offensive in December, halting nearly 14 years of civil war that killed around half a million people, displaced millions more, and left tens of thousands missing.

After returning to Daraya, Shoraba launched a workshop with the Dar Ebla Cultural Center to teach local youth the art of graffiti. The mural seen here grew out of that collaboration — a symbol of resilience and renewal in a place once synonymous with loss.

In the midst of shattered walls and broken homes, their paint brings a touch of color and hope back to Daraya.

Below is a photo gallery curated by The AP photo editors.

A group of Syrian graffiti artists paint a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

A group of Syrian graffiti artists paint a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

A group of Syrian graffiti artists paint a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

A group of Syrian graffiti artists paint a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Varieties

Chinese Astronauts Face Delayed Return to Earth After Spacecraft Possibly Hit by Small Debris 

Journalists film China's Long March 2F rocket, carrying three astronauts for the Shenzhou 21 manned space mission, lifts off for a space station, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP)
Journalists film China's Long March 2F rocket, carrying three astronauts for the Shenzhou 21 manned space mission, lifts off for a space station, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP)
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Chinese Astronauts Face Delayed Return to Earth After Spacecraft Possibly Hit by Small Debris 

Journalists film China's Long March 2F rocket, carrying three astronauts for the Shenzhou 21 manned space mission, lifts off for a space station, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP)
Journalists film China's Long March 2F rocket, carrying three astronauts for the Shenzhou 21 manned space mission, lifts off for a space station, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP)

A group of Chinese astronauts faces a delayed return to Earth after their spacecraft was believed to be struck by a small piece of debris.

Their return, originally scheduled for Wednesday, will be pushed back to an unspecified date, according to state broadcaster CCTV, which offered no further details.

The three astronauts from the Shenzhou-20 mission flew to the Tiangong space station in April and were finishing their six-month rotation. The group consists of team leader Chen Dong, fighter pilot Chen Zhongrui and engineer Wang Jie.

Their replacements on the Shenzhou-21 mission had successfully docked onto the space station on Saturday.

China has made steady progress with its space program since 2003. It has built its own space station and has a goal of landing a person on the moon by 2030.

Varieties

Japan Dispatches Troops to Help Combat Deadly Wave of Bear Attacks 

In this photo provided by the Japan Self-Defense Forces Akita Camp, Self-Defense forces personnel unload a bear cage from a military truck in JSDF Akita Camp, Akita, northern Japan, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (JSDF Akita Camp via AP) 
In this photo provided by the Japan Self-Defense Forces Akita Camp, Self-Defense forces personnel unload a bear cage from a military truck in JSDF Akita Camp, Akita, northern Japan, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (JSDF Akita Camp via AP) 
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Japan Dispatches Troops to Help Combat Deadly Wave of Bear Attacks 

In this photo provided by the Japan Self-Defense Forces Akita Camp, Self-Defense forces personnel unload a bear cage from a military truck in JSDF Akita Camp, Akita, northern Japan, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (JSDF Akita Camp via AP) 
In this photo provided by the Japan Self-Defense Forces Akita Camp, Self-Defense forces personnel unload a bear cage from a military truck in JSDF Akita Camp, Akita, northern Japan, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (JSDF Akita Camp via AP) 

Japan's military deployed troops to the country's mountainous north on Wednesday to help trap bears after an urgent request from local authorities struggling to cope with a wave of attacks.

The operation began in the town of Kazuno, where residents for weeks have been told to avoid the thick forests that surround it, stay home after dark and carry bells to deter bears that might forage near their homes for food.

There have been more than 100 bear attacks with a record 12 people killed across Japan in the year since April, according to the environment ministry. Two-thirds of those deaths were in Akita prefecture, where Kazuno is located, and nearby Iwate.

"The townspeople feel the danger every day," Kazuno Mayor Shinji Sasamoto said after meeting 15 or so soldiers who rolled into town in an army truck and several jeeps, equipped with body armor and large maps.

"It has affected how people live their lives forcing them to stop going out or cancel events," Sasamoto said.

The troops will help transport, set and inspect the box traps used to capture the bears but they are culled by trained hunters with weapons more suited to that purpose.

Authorities in Akita say bear sightings have jumped six-fold this year to more than 8,000, prompting the prefecture's governor to request help from Japan's Self-Defense Forces last week.

After Kazuno, a town of around 30,000 people known for its hot springs, dramatic landscapes and variety of sweet apples, the soldiers will head for the cities of Odate and Kitaakita under an agreement due to last until the end of the month.

ATTACKS IN SUPERMARKET, HOT SPRING RESORT

Rising bear numbers, climate change-driven shifts in natural food sources and depopulation of rural areas are increasingly bringing people into contact with bears in Japan. An ageing band of hunters that authorities once relied on are overwhelmed.

In recent weeks, bears have attacked customers inside a supermarket, jumped a tourist waiting at a bus stop near a UNESCO World Heritage site and mutilated a worker at a hot spring resort. Some schools have had to temporarily close after bears were spotted wandering in and around their grounds.

Bear attacks often peak in October and November, as the animals forage intensively before winter hibernation.

Japanese black bears, common across most of the country, can weigh up to 130 kg (287 pounds). Brown bears on its northern island of Hokkaido can weigh as much as 400 kg.

Japan previously deployed the military to assist in wildlife control around a decade ago when they provided aerial surveillance for hunts of wild deer. Elsewhere, the British army provided logistical support in the mass culling of animals infected with foot-and-mouth disease in 2001.

Japan plans to recruit more licensed hunters as part of a package of emergency measures to deal with the bear problem due to be announced later this month, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kei Sato told a press conference in Tokyo. In September, it relaxed gun rules to make it easier for hunters to shoot bears in urban areas.

"As bears continue to enter populated areas in many regions and injuries from bear attacks increase daily, we absolutely cannot afford to put off bear countermeasures," he said.