☄️ Comet
Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9
The comet that broke apart and crashed into Jupiter in 1994.
- Goes round Jupiter
- every 2 Earth years
- Discovered
- 1993, by Carolyn and Gene Shoemaker and David Levy
Did you know?
- When it was found it had already been torn into more than 20 pieces by Jupiter’s pull.
- The pieces hit Jupiter one after another from 16 to 22 July 1994, throwing up plumes 2,000 to 3,000 km high.
- Watching the dust spread let scientists measure Jupiter’s high winds for the first time.
More NASA photos of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9Straight from NASA’s image library, in the app
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All of solar system
Mercury
The smallest planet, and the closest to the Sun.
Venus
The hottest planet, hidden under thick clouds.
Earth
Our home, the only world known to have life.
Mars
The red planet, with the tallest volcano in the solar system.
Jupiter
The biggest planet, with a storm larger than Earth.
Saturn
The ringed giant, light enough to float in water.