Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9
Channel: 宇宙のすべての知識 プリンシピア
Date: 01/02/2019

Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9, by Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=6794 / CC BY SA 3.0

#Cometary_object_articles
#Destroyed_comets
#Discoveries_by_Carolyn_S._Shoemaker
#Discoveries_by_Eugene_Merle_Shoemaker
#Discoveries_by_David_H._Levy
#Collision
#Jupiter_impact_events
#1992_in_science
#1994_in_science
#Astronomical_objects_discovered_in_1993
Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9

Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 (formally designated D/1993 F2) was a comet that broke apart in July 1992 and collided with Jupiter in July 1994, providing the first direct observation of an extraterrestrial collision of Solar System objects. This generated a large amount of coverage in the popular media, and the comet was closely observed by astronomers worldwide. The collision provided new information about Jupiter and highlighted its possible role in reducing space debris in the inner Solar System.

The comet was discovered by astronomers Carolyn and Eugene M. Shoemaker and David Levy in 1993. Shoemaker–Levy 9 had been captured by Jupiter and was orbiting the planet at the time. It was located on the night of March 24 in a photograph taken with the Schmidt telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California. It was the first comet observed to be orbiting a planet, and had probably been captured by Jupiter around 20–30 years earlier.

Calculations showed that its unusual fragmented form was due to a previous closer approach to Jupiter in July 1992. At that time, the orbit of Shoemaker–Levy 9 passed within Jupiter's Roche limit, and Jupiter's tidal forces had acted to pull apart the comet. The comet was later observed as a series of fragments ranging up to in diameter. These fragments collided with Jupiter's southern hemisphere between July 16 and 22, 1994 at a speed of approximately (Jupiter's escape velocity) or . The prominent scars from the impacts were more easily visible than the Great Red Spot and persisted for many months.

While conducting a program of observations designed to uncover near-Earth ...