How big was the meteor that hit Jupiter?

How big was the meteor that hit Jupiter?

Based on the images and video provided observers, the object’s diameter is estimated at 20 meters (ft). Similar to what happened with SL-9, this object is believed to be the remnant of a larger comet or asteroid that was captured by Jupiter’s gravity that broke up shortly before the impact took place.

What happened on July 1994 when the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter?

Shoemaker-Levy 9 left dark, ringed scars that were eventually erased by Jupiter’s winds. While the impact was dramatic, it was more than a show. It gave scientists an opportunity to gain new insights into Jupiter, Shoemaker-Levy 9, and cosmic collisions in general.

How often does Jupiter get hit by asteroids?

Indeed, a 2013 study led by Hueso estimated that Jupiter gets hit by objects between 16.5 feet and 65 feet (5 to 20 m) in diameter 12 to 60 times every year. And that’s just the small stuff.

What happens when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter?

From July 16 to 22, 1994, enormous pieces of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9), discovered just a year prior, crashed into Jupiter over several days, creating huge, dark scars in the planet’s atmosphere and lofting superheated plumes into its stratosphere.

What smashed into Jupiter?

Back in 1994, large chunks of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 crashed into Jupiter over a period of several days, creating bright flashes followed by dark scars on the planet’s clouds. At the same time, however, the planet might also nudge a space rock towards Earth.

What happened to Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 What orbit did it follow before its crashing death in 1994?

P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 probably split apart during July 1992, when scientists think it traveled within 113,000 kilometers of Jupiter’s center. During this pass in its orbit around Jupiter, the planet’s tidal forces tore it apart.

Why was the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact so important to astronomers?

Why was the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact so important to astronomers? It dredged up material that gave us our first direct look at Jupiter’s interior composition. What characteristic distinguishes a meteorite from a terrestrial rock? less than that of any terrestrial planet.

What slammed into Jupiter?

In July 1994, for example, fragments of the broken-apart Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 famously slammed into Jupiter, creating big bruises in the planet’s thick atmosphere that lasted for months. Those scars opened a rare window into Jupiter below the cloud tops, and professional astronomers took advantage of the opportunity.

What happened to comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 What orbit did it follow before its crashing death in 1994?

How often does Shoemaker-Levy 9 appear?

By far the most massive planet in the Solar System, Jupiter can capture objects relatively frequently, but the size of SL9 makes it a rarity: one post-impact study estimated that comets 0.3 km (0.19 mi) in diameter impact the planet once in approximately 500 years and those 1.6 km (0.99 mi) in diameter do so just once …

What was the name of the comet that hit Jupiter?

Twenty-five years ago, humanity first witnessed a collision between a comet and a planet. From July 16 to 22, 1994, enormous pieces of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9), discovered just a year prior, crashed into Jupiter over several days, creating huge, dark scars in the planet’s atmosphere and lofting superheated plumes into its stratosphere.

When did Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collide with Jupiter?

Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9. Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 (formally designated D/1993 F2) was a comet that broke apart in July 1992 and collided with Jupiter in July 1994, providing the first direct observation of an extraterrestrial collision of Solar System objects.

How big was the asteroid that hit Jupiter?

On July 19, 2009, Australian amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley noticed a dark spot near Jupiter’s southern pole: the telltale bruise from an impact, likely from a rogue asteroid about 1,600 feet (500 meters) wide. It was roughly the size of the ill-fated Titanic cruise ship.

What was the orbit of the Comet Shoemaker?

Its orbit around Jupiter was very loosely bound, with a period of about 2 years and an apoapsis (the point in the orbit farthest from the planet) of 0.33 astronomical units (49 million kilometres; 31 million miles). Its orbit around the planet was highly eccentric ( e = 0.9986).