1994 in science

Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 (formally designated D/1993 F2) was a comet that broke apart in July 1992 and collided with Jupiter in July 1994, providing the first direct observation of an extraterrestrial collision of Solar System objects. This generated a large amount of coverage in the popular media, and the comet was closely observed by astronomers worldwide. The collision provided new information about Jupiter and highlighted its possible role in reducing space debris in the inner Solar System.

A partial lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, May 25, 1994, with an umbral magnitude of 0.2432. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when one part of the Moon is in the Earth's umbra, while the other part is in the Earth's penumbra. Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth. Occurring only about 23.5 hours after perigee (on May 24, 1994, at 3:55 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.

(136617) 1994 CC is a sub-kilometer triple asteroid, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group.

A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Friday, November 18, 1994, with an umbral magnitude of −0.2189. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when part or all of the Moon's near side passes into the Earth's penumbra. Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth. Occurring only about 1.5 hours after apogee (on November 18, 1994, at 5:05 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Thursday, November 3, 1994, with a magnitude of 1.0535. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 10 hours after perigee (on November 3, 1994, at 23:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.

An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Tuesday, May 10, 1994, with a magnitude of 0.9431. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring). An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 1.6 days after apogee (on May 9, 1994, at 3:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.