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Jupiter Is Missing a Belt
mbone writes "Jupiter just went through Superior Conjunction (i.e., went behind the Sun as seen from the Earth), so it has been out of view for a while. Now that it has returned, it is different — the South Equatorial Belt (SEB) is missing. The SEB has about 10 times the surface area of the Earth, so this is not a small change. Here are a series of photos of Jupiter's new look. The Great Red Spot typically inhabits the southern border of the SEB, but it doesn't seem to be affected by the change. It's a pity that this happened at Superior Conjunction, and that there is no satellite in Jupiter orbit, so details of the change are largely missing. The SEB has previously gone missing in 1973 and 1990. Since no one really knows what makes the Jovian belts, no one knows why they disappear either. If the belts are really just material from deeper layers coming to the surface, it is possible that the convection has stopped for some reason, or that high-altitude clouds have covered it over."
I left my belt in a hotel once so I know what this is like.
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Sorry, there is no other explanation! Did you look at the date recently?
Check Uranus.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18889-jupiter-loses-a-stripe.html
anon post to not kharma ho
Jupiter's a shy planet. He doesn't like changing his undies when being watched, so he waited until he could hide behind the Sun. That also explains why the part missing is brown. Nothing like freshly-laundered underwear for the first time in 20 years...
"This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
You're supposed to update your wardrobe in the spring.
"My God! It's full of stars!"
At least we get to use almost all the moons....
Roseanne Barr wanted her belt back.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
Jupiter is white,
Uranus is blue,
In Soviet Russia,
Jupiter stripes you!
We really need a Cassini-like mission around Jupiter. Ground-based observations are just amazing, but think of the science we could do at Jupiter!
Juno won't be launched until 2011, and it's mission is only going to be one year (although we've seen how these things can be extended). EJSM seems promising, but that's still 10 years from launch.
And there don't seem to be any plans for Uranus and Neptune. What a shame.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Jupiter_impact_event + Missing Belt = Scary
In 1990 and 2010, Saturn and Jupiter were in Superior Conjunction. In 1973, that condition had just passed.
Any chance that the Allais Effect with Jupiter, Sun, Saturn syzygy might be at work here? I know the Allais Effect is a quirky, difficult-to-replicate condition, but perhaps this is another data point.
How dare you trivialize this issue by referring to it as "jovial". This is not endowed with or characterized by hearty, joyous humor! We've got to take this sort of thing more seriously if anything's going to happen.
but have you considered the following argument: shut up.
Except Europa. Attempt no landing there.
I just had a thought.
Maybe the monoliths' message to us wasn't saying "don't you dare land on Europa", maybe it was more Yoda-like, where they're saying "don't attempt to land on Europa, either do it or don't."
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