Search Publications
HST Imaging of Atmospheric Phenomena Created by the Impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Simon, A. A.; Beebe, R. F.; West, R. A. +14 more
Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images reveal major atmospheric changes created by the collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter. Plumes rose to 3000 kilometers with ejection velocities on the order of 10 kilometers second-1; some plumes were visible in the shadow of Jupiter before rising into sunlight. During some impacts, the inco…
HST Spectroscopic Observations of Jupiter After the Collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Atreya, S. K.; Trafton, L. M.; Caldwell, J. J. +6 more
Ultraviolet spectra obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope identified at least 10 molecules and atoms in the perturbed stratosphere near the G impact site, most never before observed in Jupiter. The large mass of sulfur-containing material, more than 1014 grams in S_2 alone, indicates that many of the sulfur-containing molecules S_2, …
Impact Debris Particles in Jupiter's Stratosphere
West, Robert A.; Baines, Kevin H.; Karkoschka, Erich +3 more
The aftermath of the impacts of periodic comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter was studied with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on the Hubble Space Telescope. The impact debris particles may owe their dark brown color to organic material rich in sulfur and nitrogen. The total volume of aerosol 1 day after the last impact is equal to the volume of a …
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Observing Campaign on Comet Shoemaker- Levy 9
Stern, S. A.; Feldman, P. D.; Lamy, P. +18 more
The Hubble Space Telescope made systematic observations of the split comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) (P designates a periodic comet) starting in July 1993 and continuing through mid-July 1994 when the fragments plunged into Jupiter's atmosphere. Deconvolutions of Wide Field Planetary Camera images indicate that the diameters of some fragments may h…
HST Far-Ultraviolet Imaging of Jupiter During the Impacts of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Ballester, Gilda E.; Crisp, David +17 more
Hubble Space Telescope far-ultraviolet images of Jupiter during the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacts show the impact regions darkening over the 2 to 3 hours after the impact, becoming darker and more extended than at longer wavelengths, which indicates that ultraviolet-absorbing gases or aerosols are more extended, more absorbing, and at higher altitudes …
Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of Neptune's Cloud Structure in 1994
Hammel, H. B.; Lockwood, G. W.; Barnet, C. D. +1 more
Images of Neptune taken at six wavelengths with the Hubble Space Telescope in October and November 1994 revealed several atmospheric features not present at the time of the Voyager spacecraft encounter in 1989. Furthermore, the largest feature seen in 1989, the Great Dark Spot, was gone. A dark spot of comparable size had appeared in the northern …
Dark Auroral Oval on Saturn Discovered in Hubble Space Telescope Ultraviolet Images
Ben Jaffel, Lotfi; Sandel, Bill R.; Leers, Veronique
Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet images of Saturn obtained with the Faint Object Camera near 220 nanometers reveal a dark oval encircling the north magnetic pole of the planet. The opacity has an equivalent width of ~11^circ in latitude and is centered around ~79^circN. The oval shape of the dark structure and its coincidence with the aurora det…
Auroral Signature of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in the Jovian Magnetosphere
Ip, W. H.; Dunlop, M.; Clarke, J. T. +5 more
The electrodynamic interaction of the dust and gas comae of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with the jovian magnetosphere was unique and different from the atmospheric effects. Early theoretical predictions of auroral-type processes on the comet magnetic field line and advanced modeling of the time-varying morphology of these lines allowed dedicated observ…
Response of the lo Plasma Torus to Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Thomas, N.; Weaver, H. A.; Smith, T. E. +10 more
Spectroscopic and imaging observations of the lo plasma torus were made in June and July 1994 in conjunction with the encounter of periodic comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter. Characteristic emissions from sulfur and oxygen ions showed a decline of about 30 percent in the extreme ultraviolet and an increase of about 40 percent in the far ultravio…