RESPONSE OF THE IO-PLASMA TORUS TO COMET SHOEMAKER-LEVY-9

Spectroscopic and imaging observations of the lo plasma torus were mad e in June and July 1994 in conjunction with the encounter of periodic comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter, Characteristic emissions from sul fur and oxygen ions showed a decline of about 30 percent in the extrem e ultraviolet and an increase of about 40 percent in the far ultraviol et relative to preimpact observations. Changes in the extreme ultravio let may be indicative of small changes in the torus electron temperatu re as a result of quenching of electrons by dust associated with the c omet passage. However, no new emission features indicative of fragment dust within the torus were detected. The characteristic torus morphol ogy seen in ground-based imaging was typical of that observed in the p ast.