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Back Jupiter after SL-9 Impact

Jupiter after SL-9 Impact


Depicts: Jupiter, Shoemaker-Levy 9
Copyright: J.T. Clarke, G.E. Ballester (University of Michigan), and J.T.Trauger (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), and NASA

These four NASA Hubble Space Telescope images of Jupiter, as seen in visible (violet) and far-ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, show the remarkable spreading of the clouds of smoke and dust thrown into the atmosphere after the impacts of the fragments of comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9.

Top Panel

Three impact sites appear as dark smudges lined up along Jupiter's southern hemisphere (from left to right, sites C, A, and E). This pair of images was obtained on 17 July, several hours after the E impact.

Bottom Panel

Hubble's view of the same hemisphere of Jupiter 12-13 days later shows that the smoke and dust have now been spread mainly in the east/west direction by the prevailing winds at the altitude where the dark material is suspended or "floating" in the atmosphere.

Last Update: 1 September 2019
12-Apr-2026 14:14 UT

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