Shoemaker-Levy 9

Named after its co-discoverers, Shoemaker-Levy 9 was often referred to as the "string of pearls" comet. It is famous for its suggestive appearance as well as its collision with the planet Jupiter. The comet's original single nucleus was torn to pieces by Jupiter's strong gravity during a close encounter with the Sol system's largest planet in the human year 1992. The pieces are seen as "pearls" strung out along the comet's orbital path. In July of 1994 these pieces collided with Jupiter in a rare and spectacular series of events.