These are images of the fireball associated with the R fragment of Comet 
Shoemaker-Levy 9, obtained with the MIRAC Mid Infrared Array Camera at
the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea.  The three images
are 2-second exposures at 7.85, 10.3, and 12.2 microns, characteristic
of methane, ammonia and hydrogen in Jupiter's atmosphere, respectively.  They
were obtained about 15 minutes after the predicted impact time during the rise
in brightness of the explosion fireball.  At maximum, the fireball surface
brightness was about 50 times that of Jupiter.  The images are displayed with
logrithmic scaling in order to display the full range of brightness.  The
multiple thermal wavelengths will help determine the temperature evolution of
the plume and distinguish between gasous and particulate emission.
The images were obtained by the NASA/IRTF Shoemaker-Levy Science Team.