NOTE: Click on the image to view it at its highest resolution.
This Hubble Space Telescope image. courtesy of H. Weaver, shows the 'string of
pearls' comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in March, 1994, 4 months before its collision with
the planet Jupiter. This comet was split by Jovian tides in July 1992, and is the
first such occurrence observed by mankind. Naturally, more examples of tidally
split comets would be of great help in understanding how comets break up and what
their properties are. Fortunately, examples of similarly split comets are found in
the cratering record of the large Jovian satellites Ganymede and Callisto.
Images, Images, Images
