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Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

Comet D/1993 F2

Proper NameShoemaker-Levy 9
DesignationD/1993 F2
Orbital inclination to the Ecliptic95°
Orbital PeriodNot applicable
NotesThe history of this comet is unclear, but at some point - probably in about the year 1970 - it was captured by Jupiter's immense gravitational field and pulled into a decaying orbit by that planet. In 1992 it came so close to Jupiter that it was broken apart into a string of fragments, and in the following year the comet was completely destroyed when those fragments smashed into the giant planet.

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