Jupiter and Shoemaker/Levy
- Orbital calculation showed fragments would run into Jupiter in July 1994 creating major disturbances
- Each fragment a few km in diameter
- Escape velocity of Jupiter very high -- 60 km/s (cf. 11 for Earth)
- fragments accelerated to high velocity and therefore energy
- typical energy equivalent to 106 Megatons of TNT
- cf. Hiroshima A-bomb 0.02 Mton
- US/USSR H-bomb arsenal maxed at 105 Mtons
- No craters and extinction events as on Earth
- Jupiter has no surface (or life!)
- penetrate atmosphere and deposit energy at deep levels
- basically huge explosion
- eject material from deep levels high into the atmosphere