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Shoemaker–Levy 9

Pronunciation: /ˈliːvi/

Definition of Shoemaker–Levy 9

a comet discovered in March 1993, when it had just broken up as a result of passing very close to Jupiter. In July 1994 more than twenty separate fragments impacted successively on Jupiter, causing large explosions in its atmosphere.

Origin:

named after Carolyn (born 1929) and Eugene Shoemaker (1928–97), American astronomers, and David Levy (born 1948), Canadian astronomer, discoverers of the comet