Why did a comet break up when hitting Jupiter?

Calculations showed that its unusual fragmented form was due to a previous closer approach to Jupiter in July 1992. At that time, the orbit of Shoemaker–Levy 9 passed within Jupiter’s Roche limit, and Jupiter’s tidal forces had acted to pull apart the comet.

What happened 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.

How does Jupiter keep meteors from hitting Earth?

Astronomers have long believed that the powerful gravity of Jupiter helps deflect incoming comets away from the Earth.

Can a meteor hit Jupiter?

In 1994, the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) impacted Jupiter, which had captured the comet shortly before (and broken apart by its gravity). The event became a media circus as it was the first direct observation of an extraterrestrial collision of Solar System objects.

What slammed into Jupiter?

Jupiter, the largest gas giant in the solar system, was just slammed by an asteroid, according to an initial tweet from ESA Operations. As the strongest gravitational force next to the sun, this isn’t that uncommon.

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

The comet is designated, “P,” for “periodic,” because even before its capture in a death grip by Jupiter, its original orbit around the Sun was closed and contained within our solar system. Its fragments vary in size, with about six relatively large pieces, a dozen medium-sized ones, and assorted smaller debris.

What would happen if Earth hit Jupiter?

If earth hit Jupiter, the explosion would heat up Jupiter and Jupiter would briefly appear almost as a smaller second sun. The earth would then sink to the core of Jupiter, greatly increasing the gravity and density of the planet.

Does Jupiter’s gravity protect Earth?

Its gravity likely prevented the asteroids from combining into a planet. While Jupiter often protects Earth and the other inner planets by deflecting comets and asteroids, sometimes it sends objects on a collision course straight toward the inner planets.