Optical image of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, showing its nucleus split into several separate fragments (bright spots). Each fragment is a few kilometres in diameter. The photo was taken on 27 March 1993, two days after discovery of the comet. The nucleus of the comet was probably disrupted by the tidal forces of Jupiter in July 1992, when the comet passed within 100,000 km of the centre of mass of the planet. The fragments are now orbiting Jupiter in a nearly parabolic orbit. There is a probability that some of the fragments will hit Jupiter at the next closest approach in July 1994.