Jupiter Gets New Red Spot 141
saskboy writes "The planet Jupiter is growing a new red spot. Jupiter is already well known for its Great Red Spot storm which is visible through modest backyard telescopes, so it will be interesting if this newer spot sticks around and grows. From the article: 'The official name of this storm is Oval BA, but Red Jr. might be better. It's about half the size of the famous Great Red Spot and almost exactly the same color. Oval BA first appeared in the year 2000 when three smaller spots collided and merged. A similar merger centuries ago may have created the original Great Red Spot, a storm twice as wide as our planet and at least 300 years old.'"
Nothing new to astronomers (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Nothing new to astronomers (Score:2, Funny)
Contagious ? (Score:1)
Re:Contagious ? (Score:1)
Re:Contagious ? (Score:1)
Joke (Score:1)
Responded to post blaming terrorists with equally dumb idea.
Nevertheless, was modded troll.
Slashdot is so great.
(BTW: is it really evidence of global warming?!)
Re:Contagious ? (Score:2)
Which of the following don't you agree with:
Re:Contagious ? (Score:1)
No, these are common when gas giants go through puberty.
Re:Contagious ? (Score:1)
Isn't that the line here today?
The Domino Theory Confirmed! (Score:5, Funny)
It's up to us to rescue them. Thinking of the millions of innocent Jovians rotting away in their oppressive gaseous Gulags...
Re:The Domino Theory Confirmed! (Score:2)
There must a preemptive strike or they will surely destroy our civilization. Those alien terrorist just hate us because our planet is blue.
Re:The Domino Theory Confirmed! (Score:1)
This proves that Bush don't like red planets.
Re:The Domino Theory Confirmed! (Score:1)
GW (Score:5, Funny)
Re:GW (Score:3, Interesting)
Oh well I suppose a spot will disappear next week ho hum no news here.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:GW (Score:2)
I like what Dennis Miller said about global warming. "I am supposed believe the temperature readings from a hundred years ago? Hell we were still crapping outdoors."
Re:GW (Score:2)
Dennis Miller says a lot of dumb things all the time, "people", but that has to be the dumbest Dennis Miller quote ever. Although I may be wrong since I missed his brief career on Monday night football.
Re:GW (Score:2)
Re:GW (Score:1)
I always thought he was more libertarian than anything else. He's on board with killing terrorists over there, though.
Re:GW (Score:2)
I just checked out her site and she is bitching about the port deal. That was posted before it was known that her honey, Bill Clinton, was a major force behind it. I wonder if she will change her tune now.
I think the port deal sucks....no matter who came
Re:GW (Score:2)
It's sad. I think there was a time he was an intelligent comic. But those days are long past.
...and just before the big date with Venus (Score:5, Funny)
Re:...and just before the big date with Venus (Score:2, Funny)
Re:...and just before the big date with Venus (Score:2)
Re:...and just before the big date with Venus (Score:1)
Is it ill? (Score:3, Funny)
I'll be waiting... (Score:3, Funny)
A boy can dream...
Re:I'll be waiting... (Score:2)
Four years to go. The Chinese haven't really started on their space station yet...
Re:I'll be waiting... (Score:2)
Re:I'll be waiting... (Score:2)
It was a vague reference to the movie 2010, the sequel to 2001, and a reference to the age old belief that is often trotted out by seriously die-hard christians that the sun and the sky and everything in it revolves around the earth, with absolutely no mention whatsoever of God creating, or intending to create, a second sun.
It was a spur of the moment joke which you, through probably no fault of your own, missed.
Re:I'll be waiting... (Score:1)
You're kidding right?
Re:I'll be waiting... (Score:2, Funny)
"I see a Red Spot and I want to paint it black..."
It's time for the Sun... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:It's time for the Sun... (Score:1)
Oh no! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Oh no! (Score:1)
Global Warming? (Score:4, Insightful)
Now, Jupiter has this new storm that's beginning to rival the classic Red Spot. Is this more sign of a warming solar trend?
Re:Global Warming? (Score:2)
Re:Global Warming? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Global Warming? (Score:2)
Re:Global Warming? (Score:2)
Re:Global Warming? (Score:3, Funny)
It's those two damn SUV's that NASA has running around Mars! Everyone who watches TV knows that SUV's are the only thing that can cause Global Warming! They are exporting our Global Warming to Mars!
Excellent (Score:4, Interesting)
The creation of new spots has been predicted (as part of the rapid "climate change" that has been affecting Jupiter over the past few years) and is all probably cyclical, but I was somehow excited by reading this news.
Re:Excellent (Score:1)
Part of this is due to the fact that it is inside of darkish cloud bands, whereas in the 70's it was surrounded by mostly white clouds. Thus, it stands out less now.
Advice: (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Advice: (Score:2)
Re:Advice: (Score:5, Funny)
nothing to see here. (Score:1)
Atmosphere probe? (Score:5, Interesting)
The article doesn't say much about what is causing these huge weather patterns to be so stable on Jupiter, and the reason is that we actually know very little about what goes on underneath the outer layers of cloud.
Our one and only atmosphere probe was a surprising success, but it was not built to last. A different probe, supported by a balloon rather than a parachute, was flown on venus and it worked well.
I think it is time to have another go at a jupiter atmosphere probe. This time try for a hot hydrogen balloon, heated by an RTG. If we don't do the basic research we will never understand the biggest planet in our solar system.
Re:Atmosphere probe? (Score:1)
I think your idea is great, though. Getting there is the hard part, so we should send multiple probes. Also, multiple points of data collection will give us more information on what is going on.
Re:Atmosphere probe? (Score:2)
Re:Atmosphere probe? (Score:1)
Re:Atmosphere probe? (Score:1, Redundant)
Actually, I'm surprised the politicians didn't pick Jupiter -- it's the only thing in the solar system that's more "full of hot air" than them!
Re:Atmosphere probe? (Score:1)
This was yet another example how chaos sometim
Re:Atmosphere probe? (Score:2)
I wonder what happens [wikipedia.org] when you have more than one spot?
Sorry for the diversion, your description of the experiment reminded me of Sagan's machine.
Re:Atmosphere probe? (Score:2)
This [nasa.gov] is a decent summary.
I think it is time to have another go at a jupiter atmosphere probe. This time try for a hot hydrogen balloon, heated by an RTG. If we don't do the basic research we will never understand the biggest planet in our solar system.
Of all of the interesting phenomena in the outer solar system I'd say further investigation of Jupiter's atmosphere is down the list. Some missions of greater interest:
Re:Atmosphere probe? (Score:2)
I think a balloon might work better there as well. As I understand it, the weather on Titan isn't that active compared to Mars or Earth. With the low gravity and thick atmosphere, a balloon probe could cover a lot more territory and probably still set down on the ground for samples sometimes.
Or blimp? (Score:2)
I agree. NASA might even consider something like this [aviationnow.com]. The Huygen's descent images were so familiar in a way it is easy to forget what a weird place Titan is.
Re:Or blimp? (Score:2)
That seems more complicated than necessary. It could simply heat and cool the balloon to alter its buoyancy, as it would have to have radioisotopes for heating and electricity anyway.
Re:Atmosphere probe? (Score:3, Interesting)
Mars' gravity: 0.376G (Wikipedia)
Titans' gravity: 0.14G (Wikipedia)
Mars' atmospheric pressure: around 75% of earths
Titans' atmospheric pressure: around 150% of earths
Now, I've always thought that Mars was so cold because the atmosphere was too thin to "hold back the heat". Also, I've been told that Mars atmosphere was thin as it is because Mars gravity was too low to prevent atmosphere to escape into space. Now how c
Re:Atmosphere probe? (Score:2)
No. Mars's average surface pressure is about 7 millibars, compared to about 1000 millibars on Earth. That's not 75%, maybe 0.75%, so Titan's atmosphere would be 200 times thicker.
"Now, I've always thought that Mars was so cold because the atmosphere was too thin to "hold back the heat"."
It's also farther from the sun than we are.
"Also, I've been told that Mars atmosphere was thin as it is because Mars gravity was too low to prevent atmosphere to escape into
Re:Atmosphere probe? (Score:3, Informative)
Also, Titan's orbit is filled by a toroidal cloud of hydrogen much of what does escape is reabsorbed by the moon itself. Sky and Telescope had a good article about it a decade or two ago.
A bit of Ear
Re:Atmosphere probe? (Score:2)
In case you're still wondering, Mars has lost most of its magnetic field, which protects against loss of atmosphere caused by solar wind.
I'm betting it is herpes (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I'm betting it is herpes (Score:5, Informative)
Re:I'm betting it is herpes (Score:1)
Re:I'm betting it is herpes (Score:2)
Re:I'm betting it is herpes (Score:1)
Re:I'm betting it is herpes (Score:1)
Tune in next week to Survivor: Olympus and see who gets voted off the pantheon.
Re:I'm betting it is herpes (Score:1)
Re:I'm betting it is herpes (Score:1)
And even moreso if it turns out that Jupiter has been banging Pluto in Uranus.
Re:I'm betting it is herpes (Score:1)
Re:I'm betting it is herpes (Score:1)
Re:I'm betting it is herpes (Score:1)
[will not insert Uranus joke, will not, will not.....]
Re:I'm betting it is herpes (Score:2)
J.
Obligatory Chicago comment (Score:5, Funny)
Sounds like the typical Chicago winter...
The monolith cometh! (Score:1)
Re:The monolith cometh! (Score:1)
Re:The monolith cometh! (Score:1)
One question (Score:2)
Is it full of stars?
hmm. (Score:1)
Eek! (Score:1)
Old? (Score:1)
That would make this article six years late?
Re:Old? Not really. (Score:4, Informative)
Ha ha! (Score:1)
Jupiter's got a hicky, Jupiter's got a hicky!
And... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:And... (Score:1)
Life on Jupiter? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Life on Jupiter? (Score:4, Informative)
Now, there are levels of Jupiter's atmosphere where more complex and useful molecules are likely, due to pressure and lots of available components. Methane, for example, or other useful hydrocarbons that would have some energy to release and could be used for fuel in various interactions should be quite popular at some levels of that very deep atmosphere. And there are some fascinating proposals for how life could eveolve there. But please actually look them up, and maybe take a basic chemistry course to learn about what "using something for energy" means about the chemicals involved.
Re:Life on Jupiter? (Score:1)
Also Plants do need oxygen. Just because they thrive on CO2 doesnt mean they dont also utilise Oxygen as well.
How are you gentlemen? (Score:1)
hale-bopp (Score:1)
Why red? (Score:1)
My dog! It's full of rats! (Score:2)
It was one of Slackwares fortunes sometime last week.
This isn't news! (Score:2)
Uhh...err...wait... ok... I admit it... my "imaginary girlfriend"
oh nos! (Score:1)
i say more awesome spots for jupiter.
Jupiter (Score:1)
A careless copy-paste from Google (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Hmmm... (Score:2)
Well, damn close anyways. http://slashdot.org/~Zaatxe [slashdot.org]