Carolyn Jean Spellmann Shoemaker was an American astronomer and a co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9. She discovered 32 comets and more than 500 asteroids.
Carolyn S. Shoemaker
Palomar Observatory near San Diego, California, where Carolyn and Gene Shoemaker recorded many of their astronomical discoveries
Clark Dome at Lowell Observatory
Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker, 1994
Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 broke apart in July 1992 and collided with Jupiter in July 1994, providing the first direct observation of an extraterrestrial collision of Solar System objects. This generated a large amount of coverage in the popular media, and the comet was closely observed by astronomers worldwide. The collision provided new information about Jupiter and highlighted its possible role in reducing space debris in the inner Solar System.
Hubble Space Telescope images of a fireball from the first impact appearing over the limb of the planet
Brown spots mark impact sites on Jupiter's southern hemisphere
A sequence of Galileo images, taken several seconds apart, showing the appearance of the fireball of fragment W on the dark side of Jupiter