Key Takeaways:
- Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9's July 1992 perijove passage brought it within Jupiter's Roche limit, resulting in its fragmentation into over 20 pieces.
- The fragmented comet, discovered in March 1993, was predicted to impact Jupiter in July 1994.
- The predicted impact events occurred between July 16 and 22, 1994, and were observed by NASA spacecraft.
- The resulting impacts left observable dark marks on Jupiter and yielded significant data on its atmospheric composition and internal structure.
In July 1992, Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 made its closest approach to Jupiter, skimming 25,000 miles (40,000 km) above Jupiter’s cloud tops. That put Shoemaker-Levy 9 within the gas giant’s Roche limit; the planet’s tidal forces broke the comet into more than 20 pieces, giving it a “string of pearls” appearance and setting the stage for a series of impacts. The fragmented comet was discovered in March 1993 by Carolyn and Gene Shoemaker and David Levy, and by May, the forecast had been made: Comet Shoemaker-Levy would hit Jupiter in July 1994. The predicted bombardment occurred from July 16 to 22, with NASA spacecraft in position to observe the events. The collision left huge, dark marks on Jupiter’s face, and provided scientists with invaluable data on temperature, the presence of water, and the makeup of Jupiter’s interior.
