Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 created one of the most interesting sights people have ever seen. A few months after the discovery, parts of the comet crashed into the planet Jupiter. The collision caused damage that is visible from Earth. In official sources, where NASA describes the comet, information appeared that this was the first collision of two bodies in the solar system that scientists observed. The comet's effects on Jupiter's atmosphere were impressive and beyond expectations.
In the late 90s, Hollywood released two blockbusters: "Armageddon" and "Deep Impact" - on the theme of large objects that threaten the Earth. Since the release of these films, NASA has been authorized by Congress to search for more near-Earth objects (NEOs) to better control those dangerously close to our planet. A comet that struck Jupiter in 1994 raised fears of asteroid impacts on Earth.
First comet orbiting Jupiter
The comet was first noticed in March1993 three veteran discoverers of cosmic bodies: David Levy, Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker. The group had collaborated previously and had already discovered several other comets, so this one was named Shoemaker-Levy 9. The Central Bureau of Astronomical Telegram's March circular contained a small reference to the position of the celestial body. The comet was said to be located at a distance of about 4° from Jupiter, and the movement suggests its presence within the planet.
A few months later, it turned out that Comet Shoemaker-Levy was orbiting Jupiter, not the Sun. Astronomer Steve Fentress suggested that the comet disintegrated on July 7, 1992, when the planet hit it about 120,000 km above its atmosphere. Opinions are very different, and some believe that the comet passed at a distance of 15,000 km. It is likely that the comet has been orbiting the planet for many decades since falling under strong gravity in 1966.
Further orbital calculations showed that the comet actually crashed into the body of the planet in July 1994. The Galileo spacecraft sent into orbit was still on its way to the planet and would not have been able to get a close-up when Comet Shoemaker-Levy collided with Jupiter. However, observatories around the world have turned their attention there, expecting an impressive show. The Hubble Space Telescope was also used to observe the meeting.
Fireworks show
Collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy with Jupiter ended like thiscalled fireworks. From July 16 to July 22, 1994, 21 separate comet fragments crashed into the atmosphere, leaving behind spots. Although all of the collisions took place on the side of Jupiter facing away from Earth, they occurred close to a location that soon fell into the field of view of telescopes. This meant that astronomers saw impact sites minutes after the event.
Jupiter's bright surface was dotted with dots near where the comet had pierced the atmosphere. Hubble astronomers were surprised to see sulfur-containing compounds such as hydrogen sulfide as well as ammonia from the collision. A month after the collision, the areas faded noticeably, and scientists said that Jupiter's atmosphere did not suffer irreversible changes from the effects of the impacts. NASA added that Hubble's ultraviolet observations show the movement of very thin particles of debris now suspended high in Jupiter's atmosphere.
Ripple effect
The scars from the blows disappeared many years ago. But one team of scientists recently discovered a change in Jupiter's environment due to a collision with Comet Shoemaker-Levy. When the Galileo (spacecraft) arrived, images of ripples in the main ring were taken in the 1996 and 2000s. In addition, the entire ring was tilted in 1994 by about 2 kilometers after the impact.
In 2011, almost two decades after the impact, the Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft was still detecting disruptions in the ring, according to an article injournal Science. Based on observations by the European Herschel Space Observatory, water from the impact of the comet was in the atmosphere of Jupiter even in 2013.
Policy changes
Political effects also appeared in the decades following the comet's discovery. For example, politicians have tried to figure out how many large extraterrestrial objects remain invisible near the Earth. Congress has directed NASA to find at least 90% of the asteroids near the 0.62 mile (1 kilometer) planet. As of 2011, NASA has discovered more than 90% of the largest asteroids, the agency said. A study using a broadband infrared probe has suggested that there are fewer asteroids lurking near our planet than previously thought. However, most medium-sized asteroids have yet to be discovered.
