Shoemaker-Levy 9

/ ˈʃuːˌmeɪkə liːvaɪ /

noun

1. a comet that was captured into an orbit around Jupiter and later broke up, the fragments colliding with Jupiter in July 1995

Word History and Origins

Origin of Shoemaker-Levy 9¹

C20: after Carolyn Shoemaker (born 1929), Eugene Shoemaker (1928–97), and David Levy (born 1948), US astronomers, who discovered the orbiting fragments

Example Sentences

She will study Jupiter’s thin ring, which may still be rippling in the wake of the 1994 impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.

From Science Magazine

The best-known impact at Jupiter was that of the 19 fragments of a comet called Shoemaker-Levy 9 in 1994.

From Scientific American

Even as the pieces of Shoemaker-Levy 9 reshaped the astronomy community, they also left their mark on Jupiter itself, leaving in its clouds a dark splotch larger than Earth that was visible for months.

From Scientific American

Shoemaker-Levy 9 is still the most dramatic impact scientists have seen at Jupiter, and one of very few that left observable traces within a few hours of the collision.

From Scientific American

Conveniently a natural test of the theory arose when the Shoemakers and Levy discovered Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which they soon realized was headed for Jupiter.

From Literature