Exo-Planets Galore But No Earths Yet.

Exo-Planets Galore

We've come an amazing distance in our ability to detect other planets around distant stars in the last twenty years. As a brief refresher, what happens is that a telescope watches a star for signs of either dimming (from a planet crossing in front of it) or a wobble (indicating an unseen partner is tugging it - imagine holding a child's hand and spinning around with them, and you'll get a picture of what's going on.)

When you have an orbital period and the amount of 'wiggle' in the star, you can make a decent estimate of what the mass of the unseen orbiting body is, by reversing Newton's tidal calculations, and you can also get a rough idea of the orbital velocity and the orbital radius.

To Quote the European Southern Observatory:

At an international ESO/CAUP exoplanet conference in Porto, the team who built the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher, better known as HARPS, the spectrograph for ESO's 3.6-metre telescope, reports on the incredible discovery of some 32 new exoplanets, cementing HARPS's position as the world's foremost exoplanet hunter. This result also increases the number of known low-mass planets by an impressive 30%. Over the past five years HARPS has spotted more than 75 of the roughly 400 or so exoplanets now known.

This discovery was widely reported as having discovered earth like planets, but clearly this is not the case. These techniques have their limits; the first is that we're unable to resolve planets that are lower than about 5 to 6 times the mass of the Earth, which means we're still no closer to finding another habitable planet in the distant solar system around the host star.

The second is that the radial velocity and transit method can only identify planets that have their orbital plane within about 15 degrees of perpendicular to ours. However, we're getting a large catalog of data on extrasolar planets, and are discovering that the Solar System is, in some ways, atypical.

One on usual discovery in exoplanets is that the most commonly found ones are multiple Jovians. That is to say the size of our planet Jupiter and bigger in mass, but orbiting with periods of less than a month - imagine if Jupiter were orbiting at 1/3 the orbital distance of Mercury, if you will.

Indeed, if you did this with Jupiter, you would get a planet that showed enough of a disk in the sky that its phases would be seen with the Naked eye as it traveled around the sun. A quick run on relative diameters shows that Jupiter would show over 850 times the surface area of Mercury at the same distance from either; the difference in reflected light from the greater distance would probably reduce this to about a 700-fold increase in brightness from Mercury. Sky watching in such a system would be pretty spectacular.

However, there's something else we get to see from those Hot Jupiters transiting across the faces of stars hundreds of light years away. They're actually close enough to their stars that they're (slowly) being boiled off by them - and we can do spectroscopic readings of the gases coming off; mostly they've been carbon dioxide and methane, which are two fairly common gasses.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Maclean

Near Earth Objects to Hit Planet - Where is the Safest Place to Live.

Near Earth Objects to Hit Planet

Most people do not realize how often our planet narrowly misses "the big one" as in a large Meteor or Asteroid hitting the Earth, and such a NEO or Near-Earth-Object hitting the Earth is guaranteed, there have been many in the past and will be many in the future. Really large ones could end life for most species on the planet in fact, yes, perhaps including wiping out a good chuck of humanity as well. Not funny.

Not long ago, I met an acquaintance in Ecuador and he stated he was living there because of its location. Well, I asked him; "Are you in the belief that a NEO will hit the Earth and cause catastrophic problems, giant ocean waves, thus being near the equator makes the most sense, and since Ecuador is on the equator and has one of the highest mountain, it is therefore the safest place?"

You see, a really large NEO hitting the earth as in 50-100 meters across could cause a gigantic Tsunami making the Indonesia Tsunami look like a fly hitting the Jacuzzi water compared to a mega-tidal surge of such enormous proportion that unless you were living at high altitude (up in the mountains) or 500 miles from the coast, you may not make it.

But, if an NEO hits the Earth and our Earth's atmosphere is compromised the higher elevations maybe the most dangerous as the air is already thinner, so sea level would be better, thus, Death Valley CA, inland, safe from 1000 ft Tsunamis and yet, 200 feet below sea level, in that case it might be best. Turns out, that the software modeling of such an event depending on the location of impact, might make every place on Earth pretty unsafe, both short and long-term.

And Ecuador has volcanoes too, so a major jarring of Earth, great movements in plate tectonics would cause many volcanoes to erupt simultaneously, including those within 500 to 1,000 miles of my acquaintance's home and current location. Add in prevailing weather patterns and those modified after such an event and well, all-bets are off due to changes from a strike of a large magnitude.

According to SpaceWeather [dot] com; and a huge Asteroid over ten-meters across exploded in the Earth's Atmosphere not too long ago over Indonesia and no one in the NEO community saw it coming, further SpaceWeather noted;

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

Galactic Positioning System and Math Modification For Space Warping and Time Travel

It has often been said that the human race are just infants when it comes to physics. Not long ago, an acquaintance of mine made such a statement, and actually she is correct. It does appear that human scientists have a lot to learn. If we are going to travel to other parts of the galaxy and to other faraway places, we are going to need a highly sophisticated super computer GPS device. But, not a "global positioning system," in this case the letter "G" will stand for Galactic, instead of global.

You see, we need to create a Galactic Positioning System which takes into consideration the movement of all the planets and solar systems, and our current location. And when we do long-term space travel, or traveling through artificially created wormholes, or black holes we can use this device to always know where we are in relation to everything else, which is also constantly in motion. Without that we can never travel to where we want to go, with any accuracy. And remember things are pretty far apart if you miscalculate.

What we may find is that we can travel to faraway locations by jumping off at exactly the right time, by creating an energy event that leaves us in one place while the entire system rotates around us and where we are will soon be where we want to be. The concept of space warping and time travel will eventually be conquered by human scientists, and we should expect with our increasing computer technology that this will be inevitable.

Thus, it makes sense to get working on it right away, to figure out the mathematics involved, and use our current theories to predict how best to get from one place to another quickly. Indeed, I hope you will please consider all this.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

Mystery of the Spiral Staircase

The Chapel of Our Lady of Light in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is the home of a wooden spiral staircase steeped in mystery. Actually, it is not the staircase that is the mystery, it is the lone carpenter who built it...

In 1852, seven nuns left Kentucky travelling in covered wagons to Santa Fe to bring education and religion to the growing city. Five nuns arrived in Santa Fe, one nun died of Cholera, one turned back too sick to continue. Once in Santa Fe, the Sisters of Loretto set up camp and began their work.

In 1873, construction began on the Chapel of Our Lady of Light, the chapel commissioned along with Our Lady of Light Academy. The architect of the beautiful gothic chapel was the charming and talented Projectus Mouly,18 year old son of master architect Antoine Mouly. Sadly, in 1878, just before it's completion, the charismatic French architect was shot and killed by John Lamy, the nephew of the archbishop, because John believed his wife received too much of the young architect's attention.

The Loretto nuns were left with a beautiful chapel and no stairway to the choir loft. It was determined that the staircase in Mouly's plans wouldn't fit. Many architects and carpenters visited the chapel, but none could come up with a staircase to fit inside the chapel without remodelling the inside of the chapel itself, and taking up valuable space. So the nuns prayed for an answer to their staircase dilemma.

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The Beauty and Mystery of the Planet Venus

Venus is the second planet from the Sun and is the sixth largest. It is the brightest object in the night sky except for the Moon. Venus orbits the Sun once every 224.7 Earth days and gets as close to the Sun as 107.476 million kilometers and as far away from the Sun as 108.942 million kilometers. This makes the orbit of Venus less elliptical and more circular than any other planets. The temperature on the surface of Venus can reach as high as 740 degrees Kelvin. This is due to a phenomenon called the greenhouse effect whereby carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Venus traps the Suns heat inside. This makes Venus the hottest planet in the Solar System. Venus is even hotter than Mercury despite being farther away from the Sun.

Venus is 12,100 kilometers in diameter and has a mass of 4.869e+24 kilograms. This makes Venus similar to the Earth and has often been called Earths sister planet. But the similarities end there. One major difference between the Earth and Venus is that Venus rotates on its axis from east to west, which means if you lived on Venus you would see the Sun rise in the west and set in the east. The atmosphere on Venus is mostly carbon dioxide choked with sulfuric acid and has a pressure at the surface more than 92 times the pressure at sea level on Earth. Unlike the Earth, Venus does not have a magnetic field generated by its iron core. This may be the result of how slowly Venus rotates on its axis. The only magnetic field Venus has is very weak and is produced by the interaction of the solar wind and the ionosphere of Venus.

The surface of Venus is difficult to see through the thick, dense clouds and the first crude images of the surface were obtained using ground based radar. More detailed images were obtained by the Magellan spacecraft which was launched to Venus on May 4, 1989 and spent four and a half years radar mapping 98 percent of the surface of Venus. Later, the European Space Agency launched the Venus Express on November 9, 2005 and on April 11, 2006 it slipped into a polar orbit around Venus. These probes have now provided us with an accurate map of Venus.

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Killing a Low Density Asteroid

We have heard science fiction writers talk about killing asteroids to save our planet for decades. We have also heard them write about Comets hitting the Earth and life never being the same again. In fact we cannot be so sure that it has not happened before and that the dinosaurs were killed by a giant object hitting the Earth in the Gulf of Mexico near the Yucatan Peninsula half a billion years ago.

Has man really come to the point of being able to shoot down flying rocks in space to save humankind's destiny? Has our brain capacity grown to the point that we are ready to meet such a challenge head on? It appears so as this year NASA launched a satellite, which crashed into an asteroid on the Fourth of July. Shooting down an asteroid maybe tougher than you think, for instance it maybe easier to deflect one slightly to miss Earth.

Today we track asteroids, meteors and comets around our solar system, just like we track space junk which could endanger our ISS International Space Station or satellites. We need to be sure that one will not hit the Earth.

Some asteroids, meteors and Comets are made out of different things. Some might be made of iron and nickel, some out of ice and some like a sponge. It is rather hard to hit a flying sponge as it would absorb any such impact. Perhaps it might be better to lodge a device inside of it or attach a propulsion system too it, to gradually steer it to one side clearing the Earth. Something to think on, as NASA works out a plan for such an eventuality.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

Asteroid - 2012 - Will 433 Eros Hit?

A gigantic asteroid is moving towards Earth at an alarming speed. Oh the humanity! I will now go over some facts regarding the asteroid named 433 Eros, expected to arrive early 2012.

Some quick facts about 433 Eros:

• Eros is the first near-Earth asteroid that we've discovered. It was discovered by Carl Witt on August 13. 1898.
• The asteroid is named after the Greek god of Love, Eros.
• Eros is a Type-S asteroid, meaning it consists of stony composition. About 17% of discovered asteroids are of Type-S, which is the second most common type after Type-C(about 75%).
• The temperature on Eros varies from -150 Celsius to 100 Celsius.
• Eros is not round, but instead has a strange peanut like shape, which rotates every 5.27 hours.
• Eros' dimension is 34.4*11.2*11.2 kilometers, making it the second largest near-Earth asteroid after 1036 Ganymed.
• Eros orbits mostly between the Earth and Mars about 172,800,000 kilometers away from the Sun.
• Eros has been visited by a spacecraft called NEAR-Shoemaker. NEAR-Shoemaker launched February 17. 1996 and was placed in orbit around Eros on February 13. 2000. The spacecraft landed on Eros February 12. 2001 and shut down February 28. 2001. NEAR-Shoemaker was the first spacecraft ever to land on an asteroid.

Eros will pass Earth on January 31. 2012 about 16.6 million miles away, which is about 70 times the distance to the moon. It's therefore highly unlikely that it will have any impact on Earth, indirectly or directly.

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Mistery Comet Halley

Comet Halley, officially named 1P/Halley, the name usually given by the name of Edmond Halley, is a comet visible from earth every 75-76 years. This comet is the most famous comet of periodic comets others. Although in every century many long berperiode comet that appeared in more light and powerful, Halley is the only short-period comets that appear to the naked eye, and therefore a comet visible with the naked eye must be returned within the range of human age. Emergence throughout history has a major influence on human history, although the appearance is not recognized as the same object until the 17th century. Halley's Comet last appeared in the solar system in 1986, and will appear again in mid-2061.

Mistery of 2012

Lately in some mass media and the internet was flooded with busy writing about the prophecies of doom in 2012. even some books that have been circulated to the public about this issue. One of the issues raised among other predictions derived from the Maya who once lived in southern Mexico or Guatemala about the Resurrection will happen on December 21, 2012.

In the manuscript known ethnic heritage mastered astronomy and calendar systems are, on the date mentioned above will display a large galaxy waves resulting in cessation of all activities in the face of this Earth.

Outside the Mayan prophecy that the calculation basis is unknown, according to Deputy Information Science and Aerospace Studies, Institute of Aviation and Space Agency (Lapan), Bambang S Tedjasukmana, a phenomenon that can be forecasted emergence in the year 2011-2012 was the storm the sun. This prediction based on the monitoring of space weather monitoring centers in several countries since the 1960s and in Indonesia by Lapan since 1975.

Explained, Sri Kaloka, Head of Science Center for Space Utilization Lapan, a storm occurred when the sun comes flares and coronal Mass Ejection (CME). Flare is a large explosion in the atmosphere of the Sun's power is equivalent to 66 million times a Hiroshima atomic bomb blast. The CME is a very big explosion that caused burst of particle-speed 400 kilometers per second.

Solar weather disturbances can affect the condition of space charge to the Earth's magnetic influence, further impact on electrical systems, transportation, navigation satellites that rely on global positioning system (GPS) and communication systems that use satellite communications and high frequency (HF), and can endanger the lives of or human health. "Because the Earth's magnetic interference, pacemaker users may experience significant disruption," said Sri.

Hypothetical origin of the Solar System

Nebula Hypothesis

Nebula hypothesis was first proposed by Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772),in 1734 and perfected by Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) in 1775. A similar hypothesis was developed by Pierre Marquis de Laplace independently in 1796. This hypothesis, which is better known as the Nebula Hypothesis Kant-Laplace, said that at the initial stage, the Solar System was still a giant fog. The fog was formed from dust, ice, and gas called nebulae, and the elements that most of the gas hydrogen. Which has the force of gravity causes it to shrink and the mist turned to a certain direction, the temperature of heated mist, and eventually became a giant star (the sun). Giant sun shrinking and spinning faster and faster, and the gas rings and ice flew around the sun. Due to gravity, these gases condense along with the decrease in temperature and form planets and planets in the outer. Laplace argued that the shape is almost circular orbits of the planets is a consequence of their formation.
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Hypothesis Star Twin

Twin star hypothesis originally proposed by Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) in 1956. The hypothesis suggests that our solar system was once two stars of similar size and adjacent to one of them exploding leaving small fragments. fragments would be trapped by gravity stars that do not explode and began surrounding.
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Condensation Hypothesis

Condensation hypothesis originally put forward by the Dutch astronomer named GP Kuiper (1905-1973) in 1950. Condensation hypothesis explains that the solar system formed from a giant ball spinning fog forming giant discs.

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Hypothesis Planetisimal

Planetisimal hypothesis was first proposed by Thomas C. Chamberlin and Forest R. Moulton in 1900. Planetisimal hypothesis says that our solar system formed as a result of another star passing close enough to the sun, in the early formation of the sun. The proximity is causing a bulge on the surface of the sun, and with the internal processes of the sun, pull the material over and over again from the sun. Star gravitational effects result in the formation of two spiral arms extending from the sun. While most of the material drawn back, others will remain in orbit, cooled and condensed, and became the objects of their small size and some planetisimal called big as the protoplanet. These objects collide from time to time and form the planets and the moon, while the remains of other materials into comets and asteroids.

Kennedy Space Center's Ultimate Space Experience from Orlando

The Ultimate Experience is designed for Space Enthusiasts.

This day tour includes round-trip transportation to Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral from designated locations in the Orlando tourism corridor, admission to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, lunch with an Astronaut Experience, admission to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, unlimited access in the visitors complex, a chance to ride in the G-Force trainer, and the NASA Up-Close bus tour.

The Up-Close tour takes you right to the launch pads, and provides a two-hour fully guided bus tour within the Kennedy complex. If you really want to experience the Kennedy Space Center, but don't necessarily wish to walk around and read the exhibits yourself, this is the perfect solution.

During the NASA bus tour, you will visit the Saturn V Exhibition and the Observation Gantry where you can also take pictures of the shuttle launch pads. With a little luck, you might even see a space shuttle there! After the bus tour, sit back and enjoy an IMAX movie, or stroll through a real-size space shuttle, look at a moon rock and have "space" ice cream.

Saudi Arabia Horrendous First World Tour Space

From prospective passengers who queued to buy tickets, mostly from Saudi Arabia than from countries other Middle Eastern countries. The astronaut candidates, these tourists will be part of the first 1,000 people who will travel to leave the planet earth. Interest in Saudi Arabia citizens to take a trip into space is quite high. This is seen from the queue to buy tickets penumpan that "the streets" into outer space by using a plane owned by Virgin Galactic, the first commercial company that provides "airlines" to travel into space. From prospective passengers who queued to buy tickets, mostly from Saudi Arabia than from countries other Middle Eastern countries. The astronaut candidates, these tourists will be part of the first 1,000 people who will travel to leave the planet earth.

Marketing Manager Sharon Garret Virgin Galactic, in addition to Saudi society, the public interest in Kuwait and United Arab Emirates to "picnic" to outer space, including a high enough. "Seeing a high requested that travel agents tour in Saudi expressed a desire to open a special division of space travel based in Saudi Arabia," said Garret,

Currently, there are 65,000 applicants travel to space with Virgin Galactic, which came from 125 countries. The participants are required to pay a deposit of 20,000 dollars. With travel costs for 200,000 dollars, they will enjoy a trip to 100 miles above the earth's surface which took two and a half hours, including the costs of training before flying for three days.

Each one-time flight, carrying only six passengers and two pilots. The participants of this tour, allowed to move from her seat to feel the gravity of the situation without gravity. Galactic will launch its first service in January to provide opportunities for the general public-not only in professional astronauts to explore how outer space atmosphere. Galactic memperkirakana, in the future, space travel will become a regular way like a trip using public airlines.

Rockets Space Exploration

ROCKETS

The evolution of the rocket has made it an indispensable tool in the exploration of space. For centuries, rockets have provided ceremonial and warfare uses for the ancient Chinese, the first to create rockets. The history of the rocket is extensive and the three sub-pages below explore different aspects of rockets and rocketry. The field of rocket science is expansive, but one does not need to be a rocket scientist to garner the understanding of rockets, provided on these sub-pages. Exploration of space is performed in other ways (observatories, and radio satellite dishes), but for today, and perhaps many more years, rockets will remain king of "this new ocean" of space. Rockets, by breaking new frontiers in this cosmic ocean, have allowed the "dream," that carried such great explorers as Columbus and Magellan, to materialize in a world absent of uncharted seas. Science is exploration of the "truth," and by coupling it with rockets' exploration of space, we receive a product that not only charts the foreign sea of space, but improves our sense of placement in the universe. Man was "the measure of all things," but he has stepped out of this cave of complacency, searching for an understanding. In 1969, with modern rockets, man made another step, as Neil Armstrong placed his foot on the moon--breaking the limits of earth--transcending man to a greater state of being, where he is no longer one with just the earth, but one with cosmos. The rocket, as evolved through science, has given us an invaluable understanding of ourselves, as well as the "ocean" that envelopes us. Where rockets will take us tomorrow is unfathomable, as their development in dependant on the random discoveries of science. And to this one might step so far as to say that "rockets are the measure of all things"--but we will have to wait for time to unfold to ascertain this.

Views of the Solar System

Views of the Solar System
by Calvin J. Hamilton
presents a vivid multimedia adventure unfolding the splendor of the Sun, planets, moons, comets, asteroids, and more. Discover the latest scientific information, or study the history of space exploration, rocketry, early astronauts, space missions, spacecraft through a vast archive of photographs, scientific facts, text, graphics and videos. Views of the Solar System offers enhanced exploration and educational enjoyment of the solar system and beyond.

Space History Introduction

From our small world we have gazed upon the cosmic ocean for untold thousands of years. Ancient astronomers observed points of light that appeared to move among the stars. They called these objects planets, meaning wanderers, and named them after Roman deities -- Jupiter, king of the gods; Mars, the god of war; Mercury, messenger of the gods; Venus, the god of love and beauty, and Saturn, father of Jupiter and god of agriculture. The stargazers also observed comets with sparkling tails, and meteors or shooting stars apparently falling from the sky.

Science flourished during the European Renaissance. Fundamental physical laws governing planetary motion were discovered, and the orbits of the planets around the Sun were calculated. In the 17th century, astronomers pointed a new device called the telescope at the heavens and made startling discoveries.

But the years since 1959 have amounted to a golden age of solar system exploration. Advancements in rocketry after World War II enabled our machines to break the grip of Earth's gravity and travel to the Moon and to other planets.

The United States has sent automated spacecraft, then human-crewed expeditions, to explore the Moon. Our automated machines have orbited and landed on Venus and Mars, explored the Sun's environment, observed comets, and asteroids, and made close-range surveys while flying past Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

These travelers brought a quantum leap in our knowledge and understanding of the solar system. Through the electronic sight and other "senses" of our automated spacecraft, color and complexion have been given to worlds that for centuries appeared to Earth-bound eyes as fuzzy disks or indistinct points of light. And dozens of previously unknown objects have been discovered.

Future historians will likely view these pioneering flights through the solar system as some of the most remarkable achievements of the 20th century.

Infinite beauty of space

picture of space

The beauty of the infinite in space, humans make drunk and trying to reach, this is what makes the scientists trying to find a way to live in outer space.

Mystery Spot on Jupiter Baffles Astronomers

"Jupiter's Moons to Vanish from View"

Astronomers have spotted a strange, obvious and inexplicable black spot near the equator of Jupiter. A picture of the object was circling this planet electronically this week as researchers scratched their heads about what they'd found.

What follows is a story of raw discovery, a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in the Internet Age when astronomers find something unexpected.

Stormy spot

Jupiter's complex atmosphere is known to generate ephemeral spots, whirls and cloud formations of various sorts. Many are colorful; often they are bright, sometimes they are dark. This one is particularly dark and larger than many seen in the past.

The first picture of the black spot to circulate among astronomers worldwide was taken Oct. 19 by astrophotographer Olivier Meeckers. The image gained wider attention Wednesday as it was mentioned in astronomy newsletters. It had experts captivated.

Meeckers, a member of Groupe Astronomie de Spa in Belgium, told SPACE.com he does not know what created the spot.

Jean-Luc Dighaye, who founded a European amateur astronomy group called the EurAstro Association, discussed the odd spot with Gino Farroni of the French Astronomical Society and Emmanuel Jehin, a staff astronomer at the European Southern Observatory.

"The black spot, accompanied by at least one plume, can be seen not far away from the Great Red Spot," Dighaye said. Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a colossal cloud structure, much like an oversized hurricane, that has been raging for at least three centuries.

The new spot is an obvious dark circular object below and to the right of the Great Red Spot in Meeckers' images (he took two at separate times on the same day).

Not a shadow

In an e-mail interview with SPACE.com, Dighaye said the dynamics of Jupiter's atmosphere, with convection and radiation generating strong winds and changing cloud structures, is not well understood.

"Spots of various shades depending on the chemical composition of the gases involved in the process are observed from time to time," Dighaye said. "Plumes indicate gas exchanges with the adjacent atmospheric streams which are always fast in the equatorial zones."

These streams -- which generate Jupiter's characteristic stripes -- move at different speeds.

It is not known if the spot is purely an atmospheric phenomenon or if it might have been generated by some foreign object, though the latter possibility is doubted. In 1994, impacts of the fragments of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 created huge black scars in the Jovian atmosphere.

"This time, however, astronomers did not report the presence of any potential nearby impactor," Dighaye said.

Jupiter shines by reflected sunlight. Shadows from the four largest Jovian moons can also create spots on the planet's cloudtops. But the astronomers checked the schedules of the moons' passages and, in three independent investigations, ruled them out as the cause of the spot in Meeckers' image.