HST spectroscopic observations of Jupiter after the collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

Ultraviolet spectra obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope identified at least 10 molecules and atoms in the perturbed stratosphere near the G impact site, most never before observed in Jupiter. The large mass of sulfur-containing material, more than 10¹⁴ grams in S₂ alone, indicates that many of the sulfur-containing molecules S₂, CS₂, CS, H₂S, and S⁺ may be derived from a sulfur-bearing parent molecule native to Jupiter. If so, the fragment must have penetrated at least as deep as the predicted NH₄SH cloud at a pressure of approximately 1 to 2 bars. Stratospheric NH₃ was also observed, which is consistent with fragment penetration below the cloud tops. Approximately 10⁷ grams of neutral and ionized metals were observed in emission, including Mg II, Mg I, Si I, Fe I, and Fe II. Oxygen-containing molecules were conspicuous by their absence; upper limits for SO₂, SO, CO, SiO, and H₂O are derived.