Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Jupiter Swallows Comet Shoemaker Levy 9

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for August 4, 1998 is “Jupiter Swallows Comet Shoemaker Levy 9,” an image. It is credited to Credit: H. Hammel (MIT), WFPC2, HST, NASA. The original explanation runs about 119 words.

Jupiter Swallows Comet Shoemaker Levy 9
Credit: H. Hammel (MIT), WFPC2, HST, NASA Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What happens when a comet encounters a planet? If the planet has a rocky surface, a huge impact feature will form.”

— APOD editors, August 4, 1998

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
August 4, 1998
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: H. Hammel (MIT), WFPC2, HST, NASA
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 119 words

All of August 1998 → · 1998 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

JupiterComets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: August 4 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.