The Collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 and Jupiter: IAU Colloquium 156

by Keith S. Noll, Harold A. Weaver, Paul D. Feldman

Overview

The spectacular collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter in July 1994 was a unique event in the history of astronomy. With a year's advance warning, astronomers and planetary scientists around the world were able to coordinate an observing campaign to track the event in unprecedented detail. A year after the event, a workshop at the Space Telescope Science Institute provided the first opportunity for them to bring together their observations and foster a new understanding of the impact. In this book, the editors present fifteen invited reviews from authors selected as international leaders in the study of the impact and its aftermath. They have edited and arranged the chapters to provide a thorough and comprehensive overview of our knowledge of the event. While our understanding of the impact will evolve with future work, this book provides a solid foundation for new insights.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521031622
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/23/2006
Series:	Space Telescope Science Institute Symposium Series , #9
Pages:	388
Product dimensions:	6.61(w) x 9.57(h) x 0.79(d)

Table of Contents

Participants; Preface; 1. The orbital motion and impact circumstances of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Paul W. Chodas and Donald K. Yeomans; 2. Observational constraints on the composition and nature of Comet D/Shoemaker-Levy 9 Jacques Crovisier; 3. Tidal breakup of the nucleus of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Zdenek Sekanina; 4. Earth-based observations of impact phenomena Philip D. Nicholson; 5. HST imaging of Jupiter shortly after each impact: plumes and fresh sites Heidi B. Hammel; 6. Galileo observations of the impacts Clark R. Chapman; 7. Models of fragment penetration and fireball evolution David A. Crawford; 8. Entry and fireball models vs. observations: what have we learned? Mordecai-Mark Mac Low; 9. Dynamics and chemistry of SL9 plumes Kevin Zahnle; 10. Chemistry induced by the impacts: observations Emmanuel Lellouch; 11. SL9 impact chemistry: long-term photochemical evolution Julianne I. Moses; 12. Particulate matter in Jupiter's atmosphere from the impacts of Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 Robert A. West; 13. Jupiter's post-impact atmospheric thermal response Barney J. Conrath; 14. Growth and dispersion of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact features from HST imaging Reta F. Beebe; 15. Waves from the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacts Andrew P. Ingersoll and Hiroo Kanamori; 16. Jovian magnetospheric and auroral effects of the SL9 impacts Wing-Huen Ip.