What did the comet shoemaker levy 9 do in 1994?
From July 16 through July 22, 1994, pieces of an object designated as Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter. This is the first collision of two solar system bodies ever to be observed, and the effects of the comet impacts on Jupiter’s atmosphere have been simply spectacular and beyond expectations. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 consisted of at least 21 discernable fragments with diameters estimated at up to 2 kilometers. http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/ On 1994 July 16-22, over twenty fragments of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with the planet Jupiter. The comet, discovered the previous year by astronomers Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker and David Levy, was observed by astronomers at hundreds of observatories around the world as it crashed into Jupiter’s southern hemisphere. This Web site is here to provide some of the images taken by amateur and professional astronomers before, during, and after the events, and to provide more in
Shoemaker-Levy 9 smashed violently into the planet Jupiter. Astronomers, both professional and amateur, prepared for the event for months in advance, and the data gathered from the impact continues to be analyzed. The following Unit plan outlines a guided research activity in which your students can use the Internet to learn about the Shoemaker-Levy 9 event. Astronomy and space exploration are topics about which there is an enormous amount of information available on the Internet. As your students work through this activity, they will be introduced to a few of these resources and gain a starting point for future research. Sources: http://www.smplanet.com/science/science.
