QUESTION:
What is the (if any) final analysis of the impact of the comet chain on
Jupiter? Such as: did it perturb Jupiter's orbit or alter it's rotation,
cause the planet to oscillate, or visibly affect the weather.

ANSWER from Elias Barbinis on March 19, 1997:
There were no long-term effects on Jupiter due to 
the Shoemaker-Levy impact. It would have been a different
story if the impact was with the earth!