2074 Shoemaker and calculates a diameter of 4.93 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 13.9. This minor planet was named by the discoverer after her colleague, the American astronomer Eugene Shoemaker (1928–1997), who was a discoverer of minor planets and of the Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 that collided with Jupiter. He is well known for his work on impact craters and his role in the lunar Ranger, Surveyor and Apollo programs. The naming was also proposed by Brian G. Marsden, the director of the Minor Planet Center (MPC). The official naming citation was published by the MPC before November 1977 (). 2074
Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 Despite published predictions, astronomers had not expected to see the fireballs from the impacts and did not have any idea in advance how visible the other atmospheric effects of the impacts would be from Earth. Observers soon saw a huge dark spot after the first impact. The spot was visible even in very small telescopes, and was about (one Earth radius) across. This and subsequent dark spots were thought to have been caused by debris from the impacts, and were markedly asymmetric, forming crescent shapes in front of the direction of impact. Over the next six days, 21 distinct impacts