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Jupiter Is Missing a Belt

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the what-holds-up-its-pants dept.

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."

9 of 187 comments (clear)

  1. Wow, this is pretty serious. by sootman · · Score: 5, Funny

    I left my belt in a hotel once so I know what this is like.

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    1. Re:Wow, this is pretty serious. by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 5, Funny

      Were your red spots unaffected as well?

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  2. It's the Monolith by u17 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sorry, there is no other explanation! Did you look at the date recently?

  3. Missing belt? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Check Uranus.

  4. New Scientist has before/after pics. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18889-jupiter-loses-a-stripe.html

    anon post to not kharma ho

  5. Fashion by egcagrac0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    You're supposed to update your wardrobe in the spring.

    1. Re:Fashion by syousef · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah, well... what season is it on Jupiter anyway?

      Jupiter only has one season. It is called Crush-To-Death-And-Fry-With-Radiation. Happy CruToDaFrWiRad to you fellow Jovian.

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      These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
  6. 2010 by zazenation · · Score: 5, Funny

    "My God! It's full of stars!"

    At least we get to use almost all the moons....

  7. Maybe Von Neumann knows where the belt is. by cmsjr · · Score: 5, Interesting

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Jupiter_impact_event + Missing Belt = Scary