Astronomy Picture of the Day 6-16-02

NASA ^ | 6-16-02 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

[petuniasevan]

CENTER>

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2002 June 16

Jupiter's Rings Revealed
Credit: M. Belton (NOAO), J. Burns (Cornell) et al., Galileo Project, JPL, NASA

Explanation: Why does Jupiter have rings? Jupiter's rings were discovered in 1979 by the passing Voyager 1 spacecraft, but their origin was a mystery. Data from the Galileo spacecraft currently orbiting Jupiter later confirmed that these rings were created by meteoroid impacts on small nearby moons. As a small meteoroid strikes tiny Adrastea, for example, it will bore into the moon, vaporize, and explode dirt and dust off into a Jovian orbit. Pictured above is an eclipse of the Sun by Jupiter, as viewed from Galileo. Small dust particles high in Jupiter's atmosphere, as well as the dust particles that compose the rings, can be seen by reflected sunlight.

[petuniasevan]

Remember the Voyagers? We couldn't even come close in our imaginations to what we actually found. Not only rings around Jupiter (as is true of all gas giants in the outer Solar System), but moons with volcanoes, oceans, ice, and smog, orbit their parent planets along with previously undiscovered dozens of tiny moonlets.

I appreciate the FReepers who visit this thread, especially those who choose to post. I especially appreciate the FReepers who help me to answer questions and educate everyone about this awesome universe and its wonders.

Thank you, everyone!

Get on the APOD PING list!

[petuniasevan]

Gotta quit doing this at 4AM! Forgot the 1st caret for the center command!

[petuniasevan]

APOD PING!

[sleavelessinseattle]

Don't hit yourself in the HEAD!!!! I got kissed by a steel pipe yesterday right on the forehead!!! didn't bzactly lose consciousness, but I scared a bunch of commercial fishemen enough I had to chase them down to keep them from calling an ambulance!!!LOL embarassment followed by 12 stiches and lots of good laughs at the ER...I've had far worse days...
No more HEAD TRAUMAS!!!!Dr's orders.

This was a GREAT picture...solar eclipse by JUPITER...now COME ON PEOPLE!!! GIVE IT UP FOR P7 and APOD!!!

[Libertina]

Sorry you got hurt Sleaveless, I can't imagine what you were doing tangling with a steel beam though!
Take care of yourself now and visit this link.
Cameron's Bandaid Collection (It's cool!)

[mikrofon]

This is one great pic! As a former "eclipse chaser", I can really appreciate it -- 'reminds me to try to get most of my old astro slides scanned over to digital format sometime...

An APOD Fan

[2Trievers]

Wishful thinking that this severe and potentially serious blow to the head knocked some sense into Sleavester have been dashed by the fact that he said he wanted to see stars in the daytime ... I've given up all hope ... &;-)

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

What is the month ahead like for a saggitarius? :-)

[RightWhale]

Jupiter's rings were discovered in 1979

Jupiter's rings were reported in a 50s issue of Sky and Telescope. These pesky amateurs, always seeing things, discovering comets before the professionals.

[trussell]

These pictures are always the greatest. I look forward to getting them everyday. (See now, you have made me addicted)

Seriously though, I save them to my pictures folder, and then use my pictures as my screen saver. Makes for the best screen saver I have ever had.

Thanks again.

[sleavelessinseattle]

I was also relieved that ER's no longer shave the area to be sewn up so I don't have to look like Telly Savales...LT The bandaid site was hilarious...I'd love to have flipper bandaids...amazing marketing...

2T...I was out today tootling around in a ragtop Beamer Z3...Very good for healing the scalp, all that wind plus the attention from well dressed women on the make for a jaunty boyfriend in the shopping districts of Seattle...LOL! I may need an import City car to rotate with the Silverado, when doing my many errands down by Nordstrom and Bon Marche...

[2Trievers]

"I may need an import City car to rotate with the Silverado, when doing my many errands down by Nordstrom and Bon Marche..."

LOL ... can you drive 6 speeds forward? &;-)

[MozartLover]

bump

[sleavelessinseattle]

In seattle, you push the car along by walking beside it in the traffic jams for exercise...Lets' just say my stick skills are unremarkable...for an eight year old...I'd rather look at the scenery than mesh power bands or whatever a clutch does...does that come in a rag top? I like to wave to my admirers...plus I hear women throw their phone numbers into the sunrooves of sports cars of sufficient "bank"

[2Trievers]

Yes ... or troopers looking for a thrill ... same - same ... all foolish pretense! I hope P7 forgives me ... but this is really my style ... I'm a wannabe rustbucket! LOL

[sleavelessinseattle]

Iron oxide!!! Chromium particles in unusual densities...Obvious signs of...not much civilization...could be an asteroid formation...there...astronomical credentials established...anarchist!

[SuziQ]

I haven't posted a THANK YOU, near enough times. My kids and I always look forward to the APOD ping! This next year our kids are doing Biology in homeschool, but the year after that we're doing astronomy. It's going to be FUN!

[petuniasevan]

OW! Hope it heals well!

2 weeks ago I was cutting the grass, and came around a large ash tree. I was looking at the ground, and not at the tree trunk. The previous owner had left a wooden decorative woodpecker, attached by a steel rod, at head level. Yep, ran into it. I got a nasty slice just above my hairline. Luckily it doesn't show, and it's healing nicely now.

BTW, I took a hammer to that wooden bird!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks for the daily pictures!