The comet was discovered in its final stage before impact. As luck would have it, NASA had a probe on its way to Jupiter, perfectly placed to capture its demise.

Some of Hubble's most "impactful" observations captured comet fragments crashing into Jupiter. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 was shredded by Jupiter’s gravity, and its fragments (21 in all) plunged into ...

ANU Astrophysicist and Cosmologist Dr Brad Tucker explains the density of gaseous planets.