Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

Jupiter · comets · space collisions · astronomy

Broke into pieces. In July 1992, this comet got too close to Jupiter's gravity and snapped apart into about 20 fragments, like a cosmic chain breaking.

Massive impact event. Two years later in July 1994, all those fragments crashed into Jupiter one after another, creating huge explosion marks that were bigger than Earth itself.

First collision ever watched. Astronomers around the world got to see a space collision happen for the very first time, using telescopes to watch the whole dramatic event unfold.

Jupiter's cleanup role. The collision showed that Jupiter's powerful gravity actually acts like a vacuum cleaner for the inner Solar System, pulling in dangerous space rocks that might otherwise hit planets like Earth.

New Jupiter knowledge. Scientists learned brand new things about Jupiter's atmosphere and what happens when giant objects crash into it during this incredible cosmic event.