# Shoemaker-Levy 9: Jupiter's Cosmic Collision Captured by Hubble
Published: January 17, 2026
Duration: 1:43
# This is your Astronomy Tonight podcast.
Good evening, and welcome! Today we're celebrating a truly stellar anniversary—January 17th holds a magnificent place in astronomical history.
On this date in 1994, the Hubble Space Telescope captured what would become one of the most iconic images in all of science: the collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter. Now, if you've never heard of this cosmic car crash, buckle up, because this was absolutely *wild*.
This comet had already been torn apart into at least 21 fragments—we're talking giant space rocks, some as large as mountains—and they w...
Good evening, and welcome! Today we're celebrating a truly stellar anniversary—January 17th holds a magnificent place in astronomical history.
On this date in 1994, the Hubble Space Telescope captured what would become one of the most iconic images in all of science: the collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter. Now, if you've never heard of this cosmic car crash, buckle up, because this was absolutely *wild*.
This comet had already been torn apart into at least 21 fragments—we're talking giant space rocks, some as large as mountains—and they w...