Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveInNZ
The one thing that sticks in my mind clearly is watching through my 10" newt as Jupiter rotated to show the impact scar from Shoemaker-Levy for the first time. Any time I see a picture of it, it's almost like a "we were there" moment.
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Absolutely, it was an outstanding event "in real time", unlike a lot of things in astronomy that take a million years to happen.
Before the first of the large comet fragments hit, a lot of us thought that we would see very little, or even nothing at all.
The enormous dark splotch that rotated into view as a result of the impact, because all of the fragments were hitting Jupiter just barely on the hidden side of the planet, was awe inspiring, and unexpected.
Relatively small comet fragments impacting and being easily visible from Earth! Food for thought!
An comet nucleus or asteroid impact can "really spoil your whole day" if it happens on your own planet.......