Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 19, 1994 TAG: 9407200064
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune
DATELINE: CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
Two of the largest fragments of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 smashed into Jupiter on Monday, dwarfing the titanic explosions already observed and blinding some of the most powerful telescopes on Earth.
The first of the twin terrors detonated a fireball brighter than Jupiter itself. Using a revised scale, astronomers said the released energy equaled 6 million megatons of TNT.
That is 6 million million tons of TNT - about 600 times more powerful than Earth's entire arsenal of nuclear weapons. Put another way, imagine 8 pounds of TNT stacked on each square foot of land on this planet and then ignited.
And that was just the force unleashed by one of the 21 fragments that already have hit Jupiter or are hurtling toward it at 130,000 mph.
``The energy released is beyond any of our experiences on Earth,'' said Lucy McFadden, a University of Maryland astronomer. ``We're clearly struggling to assimilate the information.''
Said comet co-discoverer Eugene Shoemaker: ``It was a big wallop. It had an absolutely spectacular effect in its impact on the planet.''
Known as Fragment G, the 2.2-mile-long chunk of the fractured comet struck at 3:30 a.m. Monday, just around the far side of Jupiter. Within a few minutes, the impact site rotated into view and astounded researchers.
The slab of ice and interstellar dust had ignited a fireball nearly 25 times larger than any seen so far. Revising their calculations, astronomers said the largest previous chunk, Fragment A, released as much energy as 250,000 megatons of TNT.
Fragment G generated temperatures in excess of 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The resulting plume rose to 1,300 miles above the gaseous planet, far exceeding the 600-mile height produced by Fragment A.
Some telescopes on Earth and orbiting in space photographed the collision's aftermath. But several telescopes that monitor infrared radiation temporarily were overwhelmed - essentially blinded - by the unexpected power of the explosion.
A second large chunk of the comet struck at 3:26 p.m. Monday, creating another enormous explosion.
Another big fragment will hit today, and still another is part of the ``Gang of Four'' that will assault Jupiter in relatively rapid succession late Wednesday and early Thursday. A final, smaller chunk will end the celestial show Friday.
The 6 million megatons of energy that erupted from Jupiter is 1 million times more powerful than all the firepower used during World War II - everything from pistol rounds to the two nuclear bombs dropped on Japan.
If all of the munitions fired in that war were exploded every second, it still would take nearly 12 days of such blasts to equal the power unleashed in that instant on Jupiter.
by CNB