Skip to content

The Massive Impact of One Comet – On Jupiter and the Scientific Community

Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 was not a giant comet, but if you did the math – which astronomers did at the time – you would know just what a catastrophic impact it would have.  
Sign up for Big Think on Substack
The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 was not a giant comet, but if you did the math – which astronomers did at the time – you would know just what a catastrophic impact it would have.


And yet, to actually see the immense destructive power of the comet is what really shook the scientific community up when this event occurred in 1994.

Watch here, courtesy of Discovery TV:

Sign up for Big Think on Substack
The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

Related
The hospital where Rainn Wilson’s wife and son nearly died became his own personal holy site. There, he discovered that the sacred can exist in places we least expect it. During his talk at A Night of Awe and Wonder, he explained how the awe we feel in moments of courage and love is moral beauty — and following it might be the start of our spiritual revolution.
13 min
with

Up Next