Where In The Universe #34
Written by Nancy Atkinson
Its time once again for another Where In The Universe Challenge. The goal of this challenge is to test your skills and knowledge of the cosmos. Guess where in the Universe this image is from, and give yourself extra points if you can guess which spacecraft is responsible for the image. Post your guess in the comment section (no links to hints please!) and check back tomorrow for the answer. Good luck, dress up for dinner, and have fun.
UPDATE (12/18): The answer has now been posted below. If you haven't made your guess yet, no peeking before you do!!
Nice job this week, everyone (although I think my favorite answer was a wrong one by "Carl Sagan.") This is Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (named after its co-discoverers), which is often referred to as the "string of pearls" comet. It is famous because it collided with the planet Jupiter: the comet's original single nucleus was torn to pieces by Jupiter's strong gravity. The pieces are seen in this composite of Hubble Space Telescope images to be "pearls" strung out along the comet's orbital path. This image was taken in 1992, and in July of 1994 these pieces collided with Jupiter in a rare and spectacular series of events.
I'll try to find a harder one next week, but …. I might be lenient since it will be close to the holidays!
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December 17th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Location: Slightly outside the orbit of Jupiter.
Spacecraft: Hubble
December 17th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
This looks like comet shoemaker-levy 9 before hitting Jupiter. It was observed by Hubble as well as Galileo, if I remember right. I'll say Galileo.
December 17th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Looks like shoemaker Levy 9 imaged from the hubble to me too.
December 17th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
This is… hm… whatshisname… It ain't Shoemaker-Levy… or is it? Damn.
OK, I don't remember the name of the comet. But it's the one that collided with Jupiter a few years ago in a great pyrotechnic show, after going several times around the planet and fragmenting itself in all those chunks you see there due to its gravity.
The spacecraft who took the photo was, I believe, Hubble.
December 17th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Definitely Shoemaker-Levy.
December 17th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
My vote is SML9 as well
Ill vote Galileo. too.
December 17th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
It is comet Shoemaker-Levy, in orbit with Jupiter, 4 months before impact. The photo was taken with Hubble Space Telescope in March, 1994.
December 17th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Shoemaker-Levy 9 in '94 as imaged by the Hubble, inside the orbit of Jupiter.
December 17th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Shoemaker-levy by Hubble as the comet got ripped to shreds and smashed into the planet making really awesome black gashes.
December 17th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
It's Hal Weaver's "string of pearls" image taken by HST in March 1994. The objects are pieces of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.
December 17th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
I say shoemaker as well.
December 17th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Shoemaker-Levy.
December 18th, 2008 at 12:05 am
oh my gosh I know this one!!
December 18th, 2008 at 1:43 am
SL-9 about to impact Jupiter. HST.
December 18th, 2008 at 3:26 am
Shoemaker Levy 9 about to make history
December 18th, 2008 at 3:42 am
it really looks shoemaker Levy
December 18th, 2008 at 3:48 am
It is definitely SML9 but i dont know the spacecraft…
After cheating a bit, it is Hubble !
December 18th, 2008 at 4:23 am
Hi Nancy,
I think this group of flitting fireflies are the fragments of the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. And the spacecraft captured them is probable the Hubble Space Telescope.
P.S.
Thank you for your great space quiz and fantastic knowledge of the most unrecognizable space places!
December 18th, 2008 at 5:07 am
The image was captured among the vast oceans of bullions of stars that we otherwise call space.
December 18th, 2008 at 5:08 am
the remains of Shoemaker-Levy 9 / Hubble it is
December 18th, 2008 at 5:23 am
This is the easiest one yet. It's obviously the fragments of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope.
December 18th, 2008 at 5:26 am
Way to easy
December 18th, 2008 at 5:31 am
Even I knew it….
December 18th, 2008 at 5:31 am
That's my guess, also. The impact of Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter makes all of our problems here on Earth seem so insignificant.
December 18th, 2008 at 5:39 am
Comet Holmes
December 18th, 2008 at 5:46 am
Damn it! Should have looked the other answers before
December 18th, 2008 at 5:53 am
Shoemaker-Levy 9/Hubble
I guess she wants to make us feel good about ourselves for Christmas.
/Adam
December 18th, 2008 at 6:14 am
Schoemaker/levy 9, although i an not 100% sure but i believe therse series of pics were taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Special effects during a Pink Floyd concert.
Or maybe SL-9.
December 18th, 2008 at 7:29 am
8 July 1992, increases to 1.6 times the radius (less than 120,000 km). The comet Shoemaker-Levy breaks into a twenty pieces, some of which reach several hundred meters. They extend over 20 minutes of arc, or 5 million km.
December 18th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Shoemaker-levi 9, i think…
December 18th, 2008 at 8:30 am
snow coming down over a football stadium's lights at night; maybe the JETS.
December 18th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Some amateur astronomer having a really hard time get his camera set up.
December 18th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Poor Jupiter, SL-9 is going to your encounter – HST says it will be a hard day's night
December 18th, 2008 at 10:51 am
SL-9 would be my guess or some other comet getting close enough to the sun to start shedding debris. I'll go with Hubble for the image.
December 18th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Shoemaker-Levy 9, Oschin telescope on good ol' Spaceship Earth.
December 18th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Taken near Jupiter (Comet Schumaker-Levy 9, during summer of '94.)
December 18th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
As most of readers had pointed to. It is comet Shoemaker Levy 9 in Jupiter encounter and impact. And Hubble Space Telescope pictures from 1994.
Milos Krmelj
From small European country Slovenia
December 18th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Shoemaker Levy-9, by Hubble I believe.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 1993, as it began to separate into pieces.
December 18th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Shoemaker-Levy on it's way to Jupiter (for the last time). Hubble, I think.
December 19th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Shoemaker-Levy, definitely.
December 20th, 2008 at 11:48 am
That one was too easy.
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:26 am
That one was too easy. You would have to have been unconscious to miss that.
December 23rd, 2008 at 11:24 am
OMG. way to easy.
I remember that whole week. Very exciting, espeacially for us common people that don't get live coverage of astronomical events.
I remember watching one astronomer (female) view the images with what looked like fear in their eyes.