Long before #Rosetta & 67P/C-G, there was Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 & its devastating 1994 encounter with Jupiter.

I was privileged to be part of the team that made & released the very first images of Fragment A impacting at ~20:15 UTC on 16 July, 30 years ago last night, as seen from Calar Alto in Spain.

The brightness of the impact plume was a huge surprise & the following week saw intense astronomical, media, & public engagement.

#Astronomy #Astrodon #SpaceScience #PlanetaryProtection