A String Of Pearls
Explanation:
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9,
named after its
co-discoverers, was often referred
to as the "string of pearls" comet.
It is famous for its suggestive appearance as well as its
collision with
the planet Jupiter!
The comet's original single nucleus
was torn to pieces by Jupiter's strong gravity during a close encounter
with the solar system's largest planet in 1992.
The pieces are seen (scroll right) in this composite of
Hubble
Space Telescope images to
be "pearls" strung out along the comet's orbital path.
In
July of 1994
these pieces
collided with Jupiter in a
rare
and
spectacular series of events.
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.
