Shoemaker-Levy Research Articles

Upper limits of Europa brightening at K-nucleus impact

Europa was eclipsed but not occulted when the K-nucleus of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter. We tried to detect brightening of the satellite due to the reflection of impact flash, from 10:05 to 10:40 on July 19, 1994 (UT). We monitored Jupiter and its surrounding area by a CCD video movie camera attached to a telescope of 28 cm in aperture and 280 cm in focal length. We could not find any brightening even though we could detect a 10.0 V-magnitude star of F8 type near Jupiter.

Disintegration Phenomena Expected During Collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter

In July 1994, periodic comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 is expected to collide with Jupiter. The largest fragments of the comet's original nucleus will be tidally disrupted shortly before they enter the Jovian atmosphere, and all fragments, from large rocks to small grains, will suffer ablation and disintegration as a result of interaction with the atmosphere. Even if atmospheric entry takes place on the planet's far side, secondary phenomena triggered by the terminal explosions of kilometer-sized fragments are likely to be observable from the Earth.