# NASA and Jupiter (again) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 24, 2003, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274 "2003-10-24T06:52:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/1 "2003-10-24T06:52:50Z")
[This picture](http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=blackspot_meeckers_031023_02,0.jpg&cap=A%20holy%20shit%20on%20Jupiter,%20near%20the%20equator,%20imaged%20at%20two%20different%20times%20by%20Olivier%20Meeckers%20on%20Oct.%2019.) depicts a black spot on the face of Jupiter and the scientists are baffled as to what it is, whereas [this picture](http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=blackspot_ng_031023_02.jpg&cap=An%20even%20holier%20shit,%20imaged%20on%20Oct.%2022%20by%20Eric%20Ng,%20deepened%20the%20mystery.) depicts something else which might be one of the moons. [Full story.](http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/jupiter_dark_spot_031023.html) Gee, this wouldn’t have anything to do with the probe they threw in there, would it? ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/2 "2003-10-24T07:47:07Z")
Eh…why did you alter the URL of your links and change the captions to say “holy shit?” I’m no expert in these matters, but just as a rough visual estimate, the black spot seems to have about the same diameter as Mars, which I think is way too big to be in any way related to the space probe that we crashed into Jupiter. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/3 "2003-10-24T07:51:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Earthling \* > **Eh…why did you alter the URL of your links and change the captions to say "holy shit?"** Who says I did that? ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/4 "2003-10-24T07:53:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Earthling \* > \*\*I’m no expert in these matters, but just as a rough visual estimate, the black spot seems to have about the same diameter as Mars, which I think is way too big to be in any way related to the space probe that we crashed into Jupiter. \*\* Hmm… good point. I suppose if it was from the probe then somebody would have noticed it already. Unless it was dispersing under the cloud tops and then surfaced recently. Anyway it looked suspicious that it should come so soon after they toasted the probe. ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/5 "2003-10-24T08:00:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by aryk29 \* > \*\*Who says I did that? \*\* Okay, maybe you didn’t. But if you follow the links from [space.com](http://space.com)’s home page, you’ll see that the images’ captions start with “A strange black spot…” and “A similar black spot,” not “A holy shit…” and “An even holier shit…” _Somebody_ messed with the URL somewhere along the line. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/6 "2003-10-24T09:00:51Z")
Okay so I typed in the links the way they are supposed to appear. [Linkety](http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=blackspot_meeckers_031023_02,0.jpg&cap=A%20strange%20black%20spot%20on%20Jupiter,%20near%20the%20equator,%20imaged%20at%20two%20different%20times%20by%20Olivier%20Meeckers%20on%20Oct.%2019.)-[link](http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=blackspot_ng_031023_02.jpg&cap=A%20similar%20black%20spot,%20imaged%20on%20Oct.%2022%20by%20Eric%20Ng,%20deepened%20the%20mystery.). But on preview, the code looks okay but somehow a \ tag got stuck in the middle of the first one and when clicked, it splits the word “different” near the end, putting the last 2 letters on the next line. So I’m just gonna try posting the pics with no captions. [😛](http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=blackspot_meeckers_031023_02,0.jpg&cap=%3A%2D%29) [😛](http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=blackspot_ng_031023_02.jpg&cap==%3A%2D%29) The smilies are links. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/7 "2003-10-24T09:54:55Z")
It’s hard to imagine a tiny probe like that causing such a major effect. A reentering spacecraft hardly makes a visible mark on OUR planet. It’s got to be the monoliths. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/8 "2003-10-24T11:31:30Z")
Maybe the satelite was irradiated and picked up a strange cosmic virus that ressurrected the dead on Jupiter once it crashed, and what we’re seeing are swarms of Jupitarian zombies. Eh, it’s just an idea. ---
**Author:** ![Moon-Watcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/49beb7/32.png) [@Moon-Watcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moon-Watcher)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/9 "2003-10-24T14:36:49Z")
Have any of you seen _2010_? I’m going to stay off Europa for a while, just in case. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/10 "2003-10-24T18:42:02Z")
It looks similar to the spots caused by the [Shoemaker-Levy-9 collision](http://www.seds.org/sl9/sl9.html), but those spots appeared immediately after the collision and dissapated quickly. If they were caused by Gallelio, why didn’t they show up immediately? Jupiter’s day is about ten hours long, so the spacecraft’s reentry point would have rotated into view pretty soon after the impact. Why didn’t we see them then? ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/11 "2003-10-25T05:11:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vibrotronica \* > \*\*If they were caused by Gallelio, why didn’t they show up immediately? \*\* You’r right, it’s probably not from the probe after all but then what caused it? Even the scientists admit they’re baffled. 😕 Maybe the alien mothership crashed![sup]\*[/sup] 😃 [sup]\*[/sup]Just kidding. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/12 "2003-10-25T06:32:37Z")
My God! Science doesn’t have an answer for everything!? I’m staying indoors today, baby… ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/13 "2003-10-25T06:38:37Z")
Yeah! What with the rampant Northern Lights and all… ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/14 "2003-10-25T07:30:03Z")
Ah, dang it! I forgot to look for the Northern Lights! _aryk scampers off to the window to look out, blindly crashing into furniture…_ ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/15 "2003-10-25T08:55:10Z")
Maybe it’s a shadows caused by PX… Did you ever think of that… Huh? ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-and-jupiter-again/209274/16 "2003-10-25T22:21:47Z")
What, pray tell, is PX? Maybe, a cloud of dark matter is acting like a lens and focusing Sunspot 418 on the surface of Juiter. 😃