Impact on Jupiter
Explanation:
In 1993, a strange
string of comet pieces
was discovered near the planet
Jupiter. So unusual a sight,
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) quickly became the
object of much scientific curiosity.
Studies showed that the
Sun would soon perturb the orbit of
SL9
so that it would actually strike Jupiter in July 1994.
The studies were right. The
above picture shows the
impact site of
SL9's fragment G on
Jupiter's cloud-tops.
The size of the dark outer ring is roughly the size of the
Earth.
Since
Jupiter is mostly gas,
the comet melted and evaporated before plunging too far into
Jupiter's atmosphere.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
