Yup. Jupiter got served

[ThoughtCriminal]

Source: Bad Astronomy Blog (DiscoverMagazine.com)

JPL has observations that confirm that Jupiter got whacked hard by an impact.

Read more: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/07/20/yup-jupiter-got-served/

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[ThoughtCriminal]

1. More from NASA

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/jup-20090720.html

Following up on a tip by an amateur astronomer, Anthony Wesley of Australia, that a new dark "scar" had suddenly appeared on Jupiter, this morning between 3 and 9 a.m. PDT (6 a.m. and noon EDT) scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., using NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility at the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, gathered evidence indicating an impact.
.
.
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"It could be the impact of a comet, but we don't know for sure yet," said Orton. "It's been a whirlwind of a day, and this on the anniversary of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 and Apollo anniversaries is amazing."

[jbnow]

17. It was between July 16-22 that Jupiter was getting whacked by pieces

of the fragments of Shoemaker-Levy. That sure left scars

I was amazed to read then that some scientists started believing for the first time that asteroid or comet collisions could present a real threat. What? After that Congress mandated a program to track near earth objects...before that it was mostly just amateurs who tracked and cataloged them. The official program only started a few years ago...
NASA’s Near Earth Object Program reported just under 6,000 the last I read.

Not that we could do much about it...but at least if we know we are going to be hit we won't spend our last days doing taxes or getting root canals or cleaning the basement...

[dysfunctional press]

21. "we won't spend our last days doing taxes or getting root canals or cleaning the basement..."

wanna bet?

if the government knew that we were going to get whacked by an e.l.e.(props to tea leoni) do you really think that they'd say something?

think of the chaos and anarchy that would ensue...

[comtec]

30. Oh you and your SCIENCE!

WHO NEEDS "space" and to hell with all this "goign to mars crap"...

"Lets fix alll the problems her eon earth first, la~de~dah" who needs to safe the human race if we can't be perfect and happy and fat and comfortable here first!?


I think you know my feelings on this.

(not directed at you, as much as making a point)

[girl gone mad]

18. Go Anthony Wesley..

with his homebrew Newt.

"this morning between 3 and 9 a.m." was Sunday. Now I can say I knew him when..

[Why Syzygy]

2. k/r

Jupiter is conjunct with Chiron and Neptune at the moment. In case you wanted to know.
Also the solar eclipse is happening NOW.

[Art_from_Ark]

9. Actually, the solar eclipse is not happening until July 22 (local time)

It will be skirting the southern part of Japan starting a little before 11:00 a.m. local time July 22, or 10:00 p.m. July 21 Eastern (US) time.

[Why Syzygy]

13. okay

Thanks for the correction. Guess I got bad information.

[Art_from_Ark]

37. Now the eclipse is essentially over

They showed it on Japanese TV, including scenes from Shanghai, China and Iwo Jima (yes, that Iwo Jima). Pretty cool to see the day grow dark in the late morning.

[okieinpain]

31. oh great and I just watched that stupid movie "Knowing". n/t.

[xchrom]

3. duck! nt

[Bicoastal]

4. Don't worry, everybody. Jupiter is WAY WAY bigger than us...

...so it gets hit WAY WAY more often.

[UrbScotty]

5. I blame Obama for this!

Why? Because!

[ThoughtCriminal]

8. Don't forget Clinton!

Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 hit Jupiter in 1994!

W. kept Jupiter safe!:silly:

[InfiniteThoughts]

11. great

:rofl:

[Justitia]

26. LOL - hilarious! -eom

[alfredo]

6. That is too cool. I wish I still have my big dob so I could look for it.

Saw the Shoemaker-Levy 9 scars. That was a thrill.

[Cirque du So-What]

7. Thanks, Jupiter!

Out there in the solar system, looking out for us rocky, inner planets. We'd have been whacked many times over without your gravitational pull to protect us from high-velocity stones hurtling toward the sun.

[ThoughtCriminal]

10. Probably true

Jupiter makes the inner Solar System a nicer place for life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Shoemaker-Levy_9#Jupiter_as_a_.22cosmic_vacuum_cleaner.22

[MisterP]

16. PWNED!

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/skytel/beyondthepage/8594717.html

[okieinpain]

34. uh, someone needs to tell them egg head scientist that the world is only

6000 years old.
:~)

[FatDave]

36. Yeah, but some day Jupiter might get fed up and fling one right at us.

Couldn't blame him really.

[JI7]

12. it's Earth that should be whacked

[notesdev]

14. Don't worry

we got that one covered, in spades

[FlyingSquirrel]

15. Sounds racist!

;)

[UrbScotty]

19. Please... Dubya already did that

[Dr_Willie_Feelgood]

23. Why SHOULD Earth be whacked??

Wanting to see the death of not only billions of people, but most, if not all, of life itself...

WOW! That's monsterous!

[JI7]

25. ONLY HUMAN LIFE

[Dr_Willie_Feelgood]

27. You forgot the Sarcasm tag

I hope!

If not... OMG! That's one scary attitude!

Being a Progressive is about helping humanity, not destroying it.

That's the RWers job!

[PittPoliSci]

28. if you really believe that...

...quit being a hypocrite.

[okieinpain]

35. hey, I've done nothing to nobody. leave me out of that mess. n/t.

[jmondine]

20. Did NASA receive a message, "All these worlds are yours except Europa. Attempt no landings there"?

[Norrin Radd]

29. LOL. Beat me to it.

[Subdivisions]

22. If it weren't for Jupiter, we probably wouldn't be here. Thanks again, Jupiter! n/t

[Liberal In Texas]

33. I was going to post the same thing. Jupiter is the big debris magnet

that makes life possible here.

[Endangered Specie]

24. Guess it didn't know its place

;)

[Jester Messiah]

32. Seems odd to talk of gasses being "impacted" [nt]