Here's why those rocks fell to Earth:
* Comet Fragmentation: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) broke apart into multiple pieces after a close encounter with Jupiter's gravity.
* Jupiter's Gravity: Jupiter's immense gravitational pull caused the comet fragments to collide with the planet's atmosphere.
* Atmospheric Friction: As the fragments entered Jupiter's atmosphere, they encountered intense friction, causing them to heat up and eventually explode.
* Impact Sites: The explosions were so powerful that they created massive dark spots on Jupiter's surface, visible even from Earth.
Important Note: While the comet fragments collided with Jupiter, none of the debris from those impacts reached Earth. The fragments were completely destroyed in the atmosphere of Jupiter.
The Confusion:
It's possible you're mixing up this event with the regular occurrence of meteor showers, where small pieces of space debris (meteoroids) enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up, creating visible streaks of light called meteors.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
