Hubble Telescope Image of the "String of Pearls" Comet
A NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image of approximately 20 objects that comprise comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9, giving it the resemblance of a "string of pearls." The comet is hurtling toward a July 1994 collision with the giant planet Jupiter.
Rubble's high resolution shows that the comet's nuclei are much smaller than originally estimated from observations with ground-based telescopes. The Hubble observations show that the nuclei are probably less than three miles (5 km) across, as opposed to earlier estimates of nine miles (14 km).
Credit:About the Image
About the Object
Name: | Shoemaker-Levy 9 |
Type: | Solar System : Interplanetary Body : Comet |
Category: | Solar System |
Colours & filters
Band | Telescope |
---|---|
Optical |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC1 |