Comet Shoemaker-Levy Collision with Jupiter [July 16 through July 22, 1994]

JPL ^ | Friday, July 10, 2009 | Ron Baalke

[SunkenCiv]

From July 16 through July 22, 1994, pieces of an object designated as Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter. This is the first collision of two solar system bodies ever to be observed, and the effects of the comet impacts on Jupiter's atmosphere have been simply spectacular and beyond expectations. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 consisted of at least 21 discernable fragments with diameters estimated at up to 2 kilometers.

[SunkenCiv]

• Students for the Exploration and Development of Space: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Collision with Jupiter

[SunkenCiv]

• David and Wendee's website

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[cripplecreek]

Um, will be watching? LOL

[SunkenCiv]

Why-yi-youghta... There's one in every crowd... ;')

shoemaker levy jupiter impact

Google

[CharlesWayneCT]

I remember that like it was yesterday. :-)

[evets]

Jupiter is a huge ball of gas.

This collision will unleash an explosion,

which will either destroy the planet,

or turn it into a star. I’m series.

This is HUGH!

[willgolfforfood]

Should we move this to Breaking News?

[Monkey Face]

That was so awesome to watch!!!
I’m still not tired of it.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

I remember that, it was pretty spectacular. The folks in the JPM control room were going absolutely batty with delight.

[freedumb2003]

It was all faked in studios in Hollywood! There was no collision! It was all staged by NASA and the White House!

[Wally_Kalbacken]

From the Shoemaker bio:

"In 1961 he took a leading role in the USGS venture, in Flagstaff, Arizona, into the study of "astrogeology", the Ranger missions to the moon and the training of the astronauts. It had long been Gene's dream to go to the moon himself, but in 1963 he was diagnosed as having Addison's disease, a condition that prevented him from becoming an astronaut."

Evidently he didn't have the equivalent of Joseph P. Kennedy as his father! NASA would have had some strings pulled and some wheels greased.

[delacoert]

So this is like a “This Day in History” article except it’s not this day but next Thursday?

[Monkey Face]

It’s OK that he didn’t have a robber baron for a dad. He has done wonders for understanding craters here, and on other orbs. He was awesome!

[SunkenCiv]

I didn’t want to forget, better to be early. (15th anniversary)

[Ignatz]

I couldn’t find it in the archives, but I’m CERTAIN that has already been posted. ;)

[SunkenCiv]

That was *supposed* to be a secret. Nice going.

[SunkenCiv]

Heh... yeah, it happened before FR arrived on the world stage, so I didn’t even do a search. :’)

[Rodamala]

OH, SNAP!