The Comet That Hit Jupiter
In 1993, astronomers found a comet torn into a string of pieces. A year later, the whole world watched them crash into Jupiter, one after another.
What was reported
In March 1993, Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker and David Levy, searching for comets at Palomar Observatory in California, found a strange object that looked like a 'squashed comet'. It turned out to be a comet that had passed too close to Jupiter and been torn apart by its gravity into more than 20 pieces, strung out like pearls on a string.
Calculations showed the pieces would hit Jupiter. In July 1994, over six days, they did. Telescopes and spacecraft watched as huge fireballs rose and dark scars, some larger than Earth, spread across the planet's clouds.
Explanations offered
It was the first collision between two bodies in the solar system ever observed. It showed how powerful such impacts can be, and helped persuade scientists and governments to take the risk of asteroid and comet impacts on Earth seriously.
- When
- Discovered March 1993; struck Jupiter July 1994
- Where
- Palomar Observatory, California, USA
- Witnesses
- Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker, David Levy, and astronomers worldwide
- Status
- Confirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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