March 23, 2006
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Mickey Mouse on Jupiter
I have been researching an entry on nursery rhymes and related
topics. When I discovered that I had so many windows and tabs
open that the latest ones were overflowing off the farside of the page, I
started reviewing what was open and closing the things I didn’t
need. One of those open windows was my email inbox, and before I
had time to close it I spotted the latest mail from spaceweather. I had to stop and read it… just HAD TO!If you are as much a space freak as I am, this will come as no news to
you. Jupiter has a new red spot. I found out about Red
Junior about three weeks ago. Just as the well-known Great
Red Spot on Jupiter is a storm, so also is Red Junior — and also some
other spots now developing in Junior’s vicinity. This photo by
amateur astronomer Christopher Go shows the ring that has developed
within Junior, and the two lighter-colored ovoids above it that make it
sorta resemble Mickey Mouse. Click it for an expanded, full-orb
shot with more detail.
Another shot, showing Red Junior last month before these later storms developed, is posted at nasa.gov.
Of course, I wasn’t going to pop in and out of spaceweather.com
without seeing what else was posted there. Often, I find
spectacular aurora photos. This time, I found a little blurb
about a hoax now making the rounds on the net.
This starkly beautiful image purports to be the sun and moon, viewed from the North Pole.
I hadn’t seen this until I found it in that hoax-busting article on
SpaceWeather, but if I had I would have immediately questioned it –
and not just because of the impossibly immense lunar crescent.
That looks very much like liquid water in the foreground, and global
warming has not progressed to such a degree yet that we’d find that at
the Pole.But it is pretty, isn’t it? And isn’t it interesting how willing
many people are to believe nonsense? That ties right in with the
research I have been doing today.Later, all.
Comments (5)
It’s pretty enough that I want to believe it, but I’ll take your word I shouldn’t. Thanks for being a Friend.
The second picture is stunning.
I like that pic even if it claims to be something it is not. You are right it is gourgous. Kinda disturbing bout those new storms. For some reason it worries me…………..
…saw that on a friends’ computer wallpaper and had to ask what it was..and that’s the story i got too. all i had to say was, “liquid water? at the north pole? must be a shot from santa’s hot tub. but it is a pretty picture.”
Oceans.. there are oceans.. *chuckle* – it’s not all frozen! – Growing up on the fishing boat.. that’s what the ocean could look like on a beautiful calm (very low wind) day– In that respect, I wouldn’t believe water to discount the picture– but the large lunar crescent.. now that does it.. Have we looked at the moon lately? It is not even close to that– closer to Sun Size-
I’m not arguing that the picture is true, goodness knows it isn’t.. but are they trying to say North Pole the city? The Magnetic North Pole? I believed the Magnetic Pole was in the ocean.. but memory could be failing.. I suppose I have something to look up now don’t I!