Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9's Epic Crash with Jupiter in Pictures

Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Fragments

JPL/NASA/STScI

In July 1994, the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 slammed into Jupiter after breaking apart into many pieces. Astronomers around the world watched the epic comet crash in real-time with telescopes and spacecraft. You can see some of those photos in this Space.com gallery. In This View: These repeated observations taken in July 1994 show how Jupiter sucked up the fragments of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 after their repeated impacts.

David Levy and Shoemaker-9

Elizabeth Howell

Amateur astronomer David Levy in front of the two "discovery" pictures of Shoemaker-Levy 9. Levy delivered a lecture to a branch of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in Ottawa, May 31, 2013.

Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 'String of Pearls'

H. Weaver (JHU), T. Smith (STScI), NASA

Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 was named for its co-discoverers, and because of its appearance was often referred to as the "string of pearls" comet.

Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Scars Jupiter

NASA/ESA

Fragments of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in July 1994 created dark clouds on Jupiter, visible even in small telescopes.

Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Approaching Jupiter in 1994

NASA, ESA, H. Weaver and E. Smith (STScI) and J. Trauger and R. Evans (NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory)

This composite photo shows Jupiter and comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 imaged by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope in 1994.

Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Fragment W Impact With Jupiter

NASA/JPL

Galileo spacecraft caught these four images of Jupiter and the luminous night-side impact of fragment W of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 on July 22, 1994.

Comet Impact Into Jupiter (Artist's Concept)

© M. Showalter

This artist's concept shows comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 streaking towards Jupiter in July 1994. The comet's dust cloud created a rippling wake in Jupiter's ring. Image released March 31, 2011.

Shoemaker-Levy-9 Impacts on Jupiter

NASA

This graphic shows fragments of comet Shoemaker-Levy-9 smashing into Jupiter’s southern hemisphere, an event which lasted for almost six days in 1994.

Hubble Space Telescope Image of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

H. Weaver

This Hubble Space Telescope image shows the "string of pearls" comet, Shoemaker-Levy 9, in March, 1994, four months before its collision with Jupiter.

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Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.