Remember that first volcano plume that we spotted on Io eighteen years ago? Everybody expected it to subside after a time, the way Earth volcanoes do. Well, all this time later it's still raging, strong as ever. Maybe that's an indication that there's no plate tectonics on Io, nothing solid to slide over the hemorrhaging wound and plug it up.
Maybe that shouldn't surprise anybody...after all, the red spot (above) on Jupiter's been there at least since Galileo's time, and that's volcanic in origin, isn't it? Actually it probably isn't. There's no solid surface on Jupiter til the we get to the core, and the core shouldn't have any liquid inside. The red spot's still a mystery.
This amazing photo (above) is of a dwarf star which has just exploded.
The black mice above are extremely dense clouds which will eventually condense into stars. They're flat and bleeding material into space in a single direction, a sign that some kind of force is condensing them.
Above, the exact South Pole of the Moon. The good news is that this small region would make a good site for a moon base since it's always bathed in sunlight and is believed to be more likely to contain frozen water than other areas. The bad news is that the surface looks like it's taken a very high number of impacts. Is it safe to build anything there?
Until recently there was no way to test Einstein's prediction that a rotating mass will produce magnetism. Now a space experiment has confirmed it. The effect is subtle, but unmistakable. Wow! How often do we discover basic physical laws like this?
10 comments:
Before I die I want my brain implanted into a little solar powered space ship that can travel the galaxy observing these wonders. Is that too much to ask?
Great post Uncle Eddie!
Whoa! They actually just proved one of Einstein's laws? That is incredible! I wasn't even around in 1993, so I don't remember anything about the raging volcano plume on Jupiter, but this is still fascinating and should be to anyone with an open, intellectual mind.
I'm a little bit concerned about the sun and what might happen next year in 2012. There have been all kinds of crazy conspiracy theories (Mayan Calendar, cough cough) about the eminent apocalypse or widespread damage that might take place because of the latest coronal activity on the sun. Apparently, there is scientific proof that the sun might go into a major cycle by next year. What do you make of it?
Off-topic: I just remembered something I wanted to share with you. Remember that infamous 2007 BBC documentary about the Westboro Baptist Church? You know? That extremist Christian cult that literally preaches hate, etc. They came out with a follow-up film to that one this year, which you can watch here. I like the presenter's objective news reporting. He doesn't even have to do anything to point out the church's flawed fallacies except to let each member talk. It's incredible, and on top of that, his British accent is really rhythmic.
That's pretty cool that there are theories lying around like that just waiting to be proven. Space has always interested me. It's extremely beautiful too. Hopefully sometime in my lifetime it'll be economically feasible to actually venture out there. Even if it's just about the Earth!
I always like how you find such wonderful pictures Eddie. Wheres your source?
And I heard it would be incredibly hard to build anything on the moon due to the abrasive nature of moon dust. It's tiny, sharp, gets everywhere, and is able to damage lungs even in short exposures. Anyone living there will probably develop serious problems.
I'm happy to see Jupiter's GRS is still mighty. For a year or two I believed the rumors that it had subsided and no longer existed, what's Jupiter without it's Red Spot?? In fact when verifying if the GRS was still there or not I learned that recently a second red spot came into existence (Oval BA)! It even has a fan site: http://www.redspotjr.com/ .
Great pitchers, I love with the pitchers.
Koszis: The pictures are from the site "Astronomy Picture of the Day." The link is on the right sidebar.
Alberto: I just checked out your link. Holy Cow! I hadn't heard about the second red spot before! Many thanks!!!!!
I love science and space, it's all so fascinating, great site by the way, cartoons, craziness and cosmic curiosities!
Cheers!
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