Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9/Jupiter collision observed with a high resolution speckle imaging system
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
During the week of July 16, 1994, comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, broken into 20 plus pieces by tidal forces on its last orbit, smashed into the planet Jupiter, releasing the explosive energy of 500 thousand megatons. A team of observers from LLNL used the LLNL Speckle Imaging Camera mounted on the University of California`s Lick Observatory 3 Meter Telescope to capture continuous sequences of planet images during the comet encounter. Post processing with the bispectral phase reconstruction algorithm improves the resolution by removing much of the blurring due to atmospheric turbulence. High resolution images of the planet surface showing the aftermath of the impact are probably the best that were obtained from any ground-based telescope. We have been looking at the regions of the fragment impacts to try to discern any dynamic behavior of the spots left on Jupiter`s cloud tops. Such information can lead to conclusions about the nature of the comet and of Jupiter`s atmosphere. So far, the Hubble Space Telescope has observed expanding waves from the G impact whose mechanism is enigmatic since they appear to be too slow to be sound waves and too fast to be gravity waves, given the present knowledge of Jupiter`s atmosphere. Some of our data on the G and L impact region complements the Hubble observations but, so far, is inconclusive about spot dynamics.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 145954
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9411140-Absts.; ON: DE95017252; TRN: 95:007225-0004
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Imaging sciences workshop, Livermore, CA (United States), 15-16 Nov 1994; Other Information: PBD: 15 Nov 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of Imaging sciences workshop; Candy, J.V.; PB: 101 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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