When Jupiter was hit by Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

in atronomy •  7 years ago 

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As the largest and heaviest planet in our solar system, Jupiter has a double face in terms of itsbehavior against other small sky objects in the solar system known as comets and asteroids.On the one hand play a herd of asteroids or comets, which keeps them stable in theirrespective areas. This is what forms the Main Asteroid Belt between the orbit of Mars-Jupiterand the Jupiter Trojan Asteroid Group which divides its orbit with the giant planet.

But on the other hand, Jupiter is also often preoccupied disrupting the orbit of comets andasteroids. Astronomy has long known the Jupiter family comet, periodic comet with a shortperiod (less than 20 years). His trademark is always under the foot of the colonization ofJupiter's grave throughout his life. Against this comet, Jupiter will slowly alter its orbit untilthey die by running out of volatile substances on their faces, or disappear from our solarsystem or even disappear from the solar system from colliding with Jupiter and other planets.The same is true for Jupiter-disrupted asteroids, minus the loss of volatile substances (whichthe asteroids do not).

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The most famous and legendary event of the collision in modern astronomy is the collision ofcomet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (D / 1993 F2) with Jupiter. The event took place from 16 to 22 July1994 TU. The comet was discovered on March 23, 1993 by the married couple EugeneShoemaker and Carolyn Shoemaker and his colleague David Levy at Mount PalomarObservatory, thus earning his name as a comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. From the beginning thiscomet has shown a pearly.

Further observation and analysis resulted in surprising conclusions. Comet Shoemaker-Levy9 reveals a pearl-like shape because its comet core has been split into at least 21 large pieces.More surprisingly, the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 does not circle the Sun like other comets,but surrounds Jupiter to its natural satellites. He circulates around Jupiter with a period of 2years in a very oval orbit. Its apojove point, the furthest point from the center of Jupiter, is 49million kilometers or still further than the farthest natural satellite Jupiter S / 2000 J2 whichhas apojove 37 million kilometers. By contrast its perijove point, the closest point from thecenter of Jupiter, is only 45,000 kilometers or much smaller than Jupiter's fingers (ie, 70,000kilometers). With such an orbit the next surprising conclusion emerges: the Shoemaker-Levy9 comet will pound Jupiter when it reaches the point of perijove its orbit.

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The analysis showed that the 21 core pieces of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet, whosedimensions varied between as small as 45 meters to 1,270 meters, had previously crossed atits 110,000 kilometer junction point from Jupiter's center or just 40,000 kilometers from itsface. That moment happened on July 7, 1992 TU. With such close proximity, Jupiter's tidalstyle had a devastating effect so that the comet core was split into 21 large pieces. Furtheranalysis also shows the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 may have been circling Jupiter since 1970TU. That is, when he was trapped by Jupiter's gravity from passing too close to be forced tochange completely into Jupiter. Originally this comet surrounds the Sun as a Jupiter familycomet. Since 1970 TU's comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 has completed 9 rounds around Jupiter inan odd orbit, which is very tapering, very large and very unstable. Before the fragmentation,the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet core may be 1.4 kilometers in diameter.

The collision eventually occurred also in accordance with the forecasted earlier, ie on 16 to22 July 1994 TU. This event drew great attention. This is the first time that mankind haswitnessed the astonishing impact of cosmic impact when a mini celestial body (in this case acomet) strikes a planet with unimaginable awesomeness. The Earth suffered a similar incident65 million years ago, which crushed the life of dinosaurs to extinction and the other 75% ofthe abundance of other living things in a moment known as the Cretaceous-Tertiary Event.Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet pieces fell to Jupiter at 60 km / sec (216,000 km / h). The totalkinetic energy it releases reaches 300,000 megatons of TNT, or the equivalent of theawesomeness of the Young Toba eruption 74,000 years ago. The collision produces blackspots like swollen eyes, the largest of 12,000 kilometers wide or the size of our Earth! Thesepatches lasted for months later. While the effects of the collision itself can even be observedfrom Earth until 15 years later in the form of abundance of water content in the southernhemisphere of Jupiter.

Thanks @ismuel
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