Latest news with #GreatRedSpot
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
65 Absolutely Breaktaking Historical Pictures That Will Completely And Totally Change Your Perspective On The Universe
is a picture of Earth from ONE HOUR ago: Do you see yourself? this is a picture of Mars that was taken THIS WEEK: Weather looks nicer than New York City, not going to lie. is how big Earth is compared to Jupiter's Great Red Spot: I would hesitate to call that giant thing a "spot." It's disrespectful to Big Jupey. of which, the Great Red Spot on Jupiter is shrinking: According to NASA, "Some unknown activity in the planet's atmosphere may be draining energy and weakening the storm, causing it to shrink." while we're talkin' Jupiter, this is what Jupiter would look like if it were as close as the moon: Petition to replace the moon with Jupiter. Get on it, Biden. is what the Korean penisula — North Korea on top, South Korea on bottom – looks like from space: That arrow is pointing to Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. 2001, there was a huge dust storm on Mars that obscured the whole planet from the outside: Imagine leaving your windows open on Mars that day. is what Florida looks like from space: To paraphrase Carl Sagan: Every Floridian you love, every Floridian who has robbed a gas station, every Floridian who has unwisely kept an exotic animal as a pet, every Floridian who has ever been seriously hurt flying off a jump in a backyard go-kart accident, has lived out their lives on that peninsula. this is what the Himalayas look like from International Space Station: Not so tall now, are you! is the last image NASA's InSight rover sent from Mars before running out of power at the end of its mission last December: we're on the subject, this is the last picture the Mars Opportunity rover took: Well, one of the final few. Goodnight, sweet prince. is what a volcano erupting looks like from space: Neat! to scale, is how far apart the Milky Way galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy are: FYI, the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across. is how big Earth is compared to Saturn: Earth is PUNY. this is how big the Moon and Pluto's moon Charon are compared to the Earth: You know what? I'm glad that puny little dwarf planet doesn't count as a planet anymore. is what Antarctica looks like from space: Read more about how this image was made here. is what the inside of a 1970s spacesuit looked like: Specially the Russian Orlan suit. Looks comfortable and not horrifying at all! can see volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon Io from space: Some are large enough to be seen from Earth, too. of IO, here's a picture of one of the moon's most unique mountains, named "Steeple Mountain:" It's about four miles high. is what the Pacific Ocean looks like from space: There are at least ten fish pictured here. is a picture of Pluto and its moons taken in 2006... Related: 13 Tweets From Women This Week That Made Me Laugh So Hard I Might Need Medical Attention this is a much, much clearer picture of Pluto taken only a decade later, in 2015: By NASA's New Horizons spacecraft from 476,000 miles out. is what the Space Shuttle Endeavour looked like as it left Earth and traveled into orbit: It looks like a little toy. is what a typhoon looks like from space: Specifically, Super Typhoon Maysak in 2015. picture was taken shortly after David Scott and Neil Armstrong's Gemini 8 space capsule landed in the Pacific Ocean: Some cool-looking extra-terrestrial dudes. is what the United Kingdom looked like from space during the winter of 2010: Likes like one of those Games of Thrones. is what a sunset looks like from space: Hmmm. Is this more or less impressive than the sunset your mom has as the background on her iPhone lock screen? Weigh in on this in the comments, please. Feb. 7, 1984, Bruce McCandless II performed the first-ever untethered space walk, and folks, it looks absolutely terrifying: He used a jet-propelled backpack to maneuver around. It was apparently very, very cold. is a picture of the ice mountains of Pluto as seen from the New Horizons space probe: The photo is 230 miles across, to put things into perspective. is what New Zealand looks like from space: I think I see Tom Bombadil. is how big an average-sized comet is compared to Paris: Specifically the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet. Very chill, though. is a REAL picture of the moon crossing in front of the Earth: The image was taken by the DSCOVR spacecraft about a million miles away from Earth. Related: 18 People Who Took A Picture Of Something That — Oops — Is Super Dangerous is what a solar eclipse looks like from space: Like a pen blew up all over Earth. 1972, astronaut Charles Duke left behind a picture of his family on the moon's surface. It's been there ever since: The back of the photo reads, "This is the family of Astronaut Duke from Planet Earth, who landed on the Moon on the twentieth of April 1972." is how big everyone's favorite telescope, the Hubble Telescope, is: KRGEAC The Hubble Space Telescope at the Lockheed assembly plant 8913987 picture, taken in 1946, is one of the first images of Earth ever taken from space: It was captured from a 35-millimeter camera attached to a V-2 rocket. this is the first picture of Earth from the moon, taken in 1966 by Lunar Orbiter 1: Mars rovers are way, way bigger than you thought they were: This is the Perseverance rover. It's not a little RC car! is what a piece of the moon and a piece of Mars looks like: Read and see more here. are two of the earliest known photographs of Saturn and Jupiter, taken in the 19th century: probably familiar with the "Face on Mars," an image of a formation on Mars from the 1970s that launched a million conspiracy theories... this is what a much less blurry, much more recent photograph of that same "face" looks like: I still want to believe. is home to the tallest mountain in the solar system, the 72,000-foot-tall Olympus Mons: It's over 372 miles wide. That's bigger than Arizona. of Mars, this is what a sunset looks like on that there planet: Not as nice as Key West, but what are you gonna do. Martians make do. a bunch of trash left by humans on the moon. In fact, if you really want to know, there are 96 bags of human waste on that big pie in the sky: Now, THAT'S amore. might recognize Eugene from this iconic picture of his moon walk: recently captured one of the clearest pictures of Jupiter yet: Look at my boy Jupey! is the Willamette meteorite, the largest meteorite that's ever been found in the United States: It is the sixth largest in the world and weighs 15.5 tons. this is the Hoba meteorite, the largest meteorite on Earth: The largest that we know of, that is. It's located in Namibia. out on the edge of the Solar System is this big ol' hunk of rock called Ultima Thule, Arrokoth, or (486958) 2014 MU69 — the farthest thing from Earth humanity has ever "explored up close": Reminds me of two peanuts I ate earlier today. Those were some good peanuts. Aldrin took humanity's first "space selfie" while on a spacewalk in 1966: Never heard of a "space selfie"? Well, it's got its own Wikipedia page. is what the moon looks like in the Northern Hemisphere... this is what the moon looks like in the Southern Hemisphere. It's upside down: Well, I guess that just depends on the moon you lived your life with. is what Ireland looks like from space: I think I see Bono. finally, this is the statement President Jimmy Carter wrote and put aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft, intended for any aliens the probe might encounter: It reads: "This Voyager spacecraft was constructed by the United States of America. We are a community of 240 million human beings among the more than 4 billion who inhabit the planet Earth. We human beings are still divided into nation states, but these states are rapidly becoming a single global civilization. "We cast this message into the cosmos. It is likely to survive a billion years into our future, when our civilization is profoundly altered and the surface of the Earth may be vastly changed. Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, some — perhaps many — may have inhabited planets and spacefaring civilizations. If one such civilization intercepts Voyager and can understand these recorded contents, here is our message: "This is a present from a small distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts, and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope someday, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination, and our good will in a vast and awesome universe." is Eugene Cernan, who is, as of 2023, the last man to ever walk on the moon: He did it way back in 1972. It's been that long, folks! let's end by looking at the TRUE color of every planet in our solar system. This is what color Mercury really is: this is what Venus looks like to the naked eye: where you are, Earth, in true color: No surprise here. is what Mars looks like in real color: this is what Jupiter looks like without any filters: Saturn in all its true-color glory: this is Uranus in real color: Neptune in true color: finally, here's our little dwarf planet warrior, Pluto, in real color: Also in Internet Finds: The History We're Taught Is Wildly Sanitized, So Here 28 Disturbing Historical Events Everyone Should Be Aware Of Also in Internet Finds: Tattoo Artists Are Sharing The Tattoos They Felt REALLY Uncomfortable Doing, And I Have No Words Also in Internet Finds: "I've Worked In Various Prisons. I Will Take A Men's Over Women's Any Day Of The Week. Shit Is Scary": Former Female Inmates Are Sharing Their Most Disturbing Prison Experiences, And My Jaw Is Literally On The Floor
Buzz Feed
07-06-2025
- Science
- Buzz Feed
65 Extremely Rare Historical Pictures That Will Completely And Totally Change Your Perspective On The Universe
This is a picture of Earth from ONE HOUR ago: Do you see yourself? And this is a picture of Mars that was taken THIS WEEK: Weather looks nicer than New York City, not going to lie. This is how big Earth is compared to Jupiter's Great Red Spot: I would hesitate to call that giant thing a "spot." It's disrespectful to Big Jupey. Speaking of which, the Great Red Spot on Jupiter is shrinking: According to NASA, "Some unknown activity in the planet's atmosphere may be draining energy and weakening the storm, causing it to shrink." And while we're talkin' Jupiter, this is what Jupiter would look like if it were as close as the moon: Petition to replace the moon with Jupiter. Get on it, Biden. This is what the Korean penisula — North Korea on top, South Korea on bottom – looks like from space: That arrow is pointing to Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. In 2001, there was a huge dust storm on Mars that obscured the whole planet from the outside: Imagine leaving your windows open on Mars that day. This is what Florida looks like from space: To paraphrase Carl Sagan: Every Floridian you love, every Floridian who has robbed a gas station, every Floridian who has unwisely kept an exotic animal as a pet, every Floridian who has ever been seriously hurt flying off a jump in a backyard go-kart accident, has lived out their lives on that peninsula. And this is what the Himalayas look like from International Space Station: Not so tall now, are you! This is the last image NASA's InSight rover sent from Mars before running out of power at the end of its mission last December: While we're on the subject, this is the last picture the Mars Opportunity rover took: Well, one of the final few. Goodnight, sweet prince. This is what a volcano erupting looks like from space: Neat! This, to scale, is how far apart the Milky Way galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy are: FYI, the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across. This is how big Earth is compared to Saturn: Earth is PUNY. And this is how big the Moon and Pluto's moon Charon are compared to the Earth: You know what? I'm glad that puny little dwarf planet doesn't count as a planet anymore. This is what Antarctica looks like from space: Read more about how this image was made here. This is what the inside of a 1970s spacesuit looked like: Specially the Russian Orlan suit. Looks comfortable and not horrifying at all! You can see volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon Io from space: Some are large enough to be seen from Earth, too. Speaking of IO, here's a picture of one of the moon's most unique mountains, named "Steeple Mountain:" It's about four miles high. This is what the Pacific Ocean looks like from space: There are at least ten fish pictured here. This is a picture of Pluto and its moons taken in 2006... And this is a much, much clearer picture of Pluto taken only a decade later, in 2015: By NASA's New Horizons spacecraft from 476,000 miles out. This is what the Space Shuttle Endeavour looked like as it left Earth and traveled into orbit: It looks like a little toy. This is what a typhoon looks like from space: Specifically, Super Typhoon Maysak in 2015. This picture was taken shortly after David Scott and Neil Armstrong's Gemini 8 space capsule landed in the Pacific Ocean: Some cool-looking extra-terrestrial dudes. This is what the United Kingdom looked like from space during the winter of 2010: Likes like one of those Games of Thrones. This is what a sunset looks like from space: Hmmm. Is this more or less impressive than the sunset your mom has as the background on her iPhone lock screen? Weigh in on this in the comments, please. On Feb. 7, 1984, Bruce McCandless II performed the first-ever untethered space walk, and folks, it looks absolutely terrifying: He used a jet-propelled backpack to maneuver around. It was apparently very, very cold. This is a picture of the ice mountains of Pluto as seen from the New Horizons space probe: The photo is 230 miles across, to put things into perspective. This is what New Zealand looks like from space: I think I see Tom Bombadil. This is how big an average-sized comet is compared to Paris: Specifically the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet. Very chill, though. This is a REAL picture of the moon crossing in front of the Earth: The image was taken by the DSCOVR spacecraft about a million miles away from Earth. This is what a solar eclipse looks like from space: Like a pen blew up all over Earth. In 1972, astronaut Charles Duke left behind a picture of his family on the moon's surface. It's been there ever since: The back of the photo reads, "This is the family of Astronaut Duke from Planet Earth, who landed on the Moon on the twentieth of April 1972." This is how big everyone's favorite telescope, the Hubble Telescope, is: KRGEAC The Hubble Space Telescope at the Lockheed assembly plant 8913987 This picture, taken in 1946, is one of the first images of Earth ever taken from space: It was captured from a 35-millimeter camera attached to a V-2 rocket. And this is the first picture of Earth from the moon, taken in 1966 by Lunar Orbiter 1: The Mars rovers are way, way bigger than you thought they were: This is the Perseverance rover. It's not a little RC car! This is what a piece of the moon and a piece of Mars looks like: Read and see more here. These are two of the earliest known photographs of Saturn and Jupiter, taken in the 19th century: You're probably familiar with the "Face on Mars," an image of a formation on Mars from the 1970s that launched a million conspiracy theories... ...well, this is what a much less blurry, much more recent photograph of that same "face" looks like: I still want to believe. Mars is home to the tallest mountain in the solar system, the 72,000-foot-tall Olympus Mons: It's over 372 miles wide. That's bigger than Arizona. Speaking of Mars, this is what a sunset looks like on that there planet: Not as nice as Key West, but what are you gonna do. Martians make do. There's a bunch of trash left by humans on the moon. In fact, if you really want to know, there are 96 bags of human waste on that big pie in the sky: Now, THAT'S amore. You might recognize Eugene from this iconic picture of his moon walk: NASA recently captured one of the clearest pictures of Jupiter yet: Look at my boy Jupey! This is the Willamette meteorite, the largest meteorite that's ever been found in the United States: It is the sixth largest in the world and weighs 15.5 tons. And this is the Hoba meteorite, the largest meteorite on Earth: The largest that we know of, that is. It's located in Namibia. Way out on the edge of the Solar System is this big ol' hunk of rock called Ultima Thule, Arrokoth, or (486958) 2014 MU69 — the farthest thing from Earth humanity has ever "explored up close": Reminds me of two peanuts I ate earlier today. Those were some good peanuts. Buzz Aldrin took humanity's first "space selfie" while on a spacewalk in 1966: Never heard of a "space selfie"? Well, it's got its own Wikipedia page. This is what the moon looks like in the Northern Hemisphere... ...and this is what the moon looks like in the Southern Hemisphere. It's upside down: Well, I guess that just depends on the moon you lived your life with. This is what Ireland looks like from space: I think I see Bono. And finally, this is the statement President Jimmy Carter wrote and put aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft, intended for any aliens the probe might encounter: It reads: "This Voyager spacecraft was constructed by the United States of America. We are a community of 240 million human beings among the more than 4 billion who inhabit the planet Earth. We human beings are still divided into nation states, but these states are rapidly becoming a single global civilization."We cast this message into the cosmos. It is likely to survive a billion years into our future, when our civilization is profoundly altered and the surface of the Earth may be vastly changed. Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, some — perhaps many — may have inhabited planets and spacefaring civilizations. If one such civilization intercepts Voyager and can understand these recorded contents, here is our message:"This is a present from a small distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts, and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope someday, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination, and our good will in a vast and awesome universe." This is Eugene Cernan, who is, as of 2023, the last man to ever walk on the moon: He did it way back in 1972. It's been that long, folks! Finally, let's end by looking at the TRUE color of every planet in our solar system. This is what color Mercury really is: And this is what Venus looks like to the naked eye: Here's where you are, Earth, in true color: No surprise here. This is what Mars looks like in real color: And this is what Jupiter looks like without any filters: Here's Saturn in all its true-color glory: And this is Uranus in real color: Here's Neptune in true color: And, finally, here's our little dwarf planet warrior, Pluto, in real color:
The Advertiser
28-05-2025
- Science
- The Advertiser
Ask Fuzzy: What's happening to Jupiter's spot?
While there are many truly beautiful objects in the night sky, arguably the most stunning is Jupiter. Seen up close from spacecraft such as Cassini, the swirling textured surface looks like something that Van Gogh might have painted. The fifth planet from the Sun is easily visible to the naked eye and is more than twice as massive as the other planets combined. If it were a hollow shell, a thousand Earths could fit inside. Curiously for such a large object, Jupiter also has the shortest day in the solar system, being only 10 hours long. Jupiter's size and rapid spin generates a huge coriolis effect - the same force that shapes cyclones and hurricanes on Earth. The striking colours in thick bands across Jupiter are thought to be plumes of sulphur and phosphorus gases. While it might be beautiful, it would not be a happy place to visit. Aside from being a long way, the atmosphere that includes ammonia ice and ammonium hydrosulfide crystals is not recommended. The planet's rotation causes cyclonic storms with winds over 500 kilometres per hour, forming bands of colour, with spots scattered from pole to pole. With no solid surface to slow them down, these spots persist for many years. The first person to observe a spot on Jupiter was Giovanni Cassini in 1672 when he drew pictures using his primitive telescope. By today's standards telescopes were still unsophisticated in the 1800s when the Great Red Spot was first seen. A drawing from 1831 shows a large oval shape that we now know is a giant storm, twice as wide as Earth. MORE ASK FUZZY: Through the 300 years it's been observed, Jupiter's patterns have been constantly evolving. In recent times, three smaller ovals merged to form the Little Red Spot which is about half the size. Now it seems the Great Red Spot is shrinking. In the late 1800s it spanned about 41,000km and in 1979 the NASA Voyager measured it at 23,335 km. Today, the spot's waistline is only 16,500 km, and getting smaller by 1000 kilometres per year. At this rate it could disappear in the near future. It might be sad for our photogenic neighbour to lose its beauty spot, but who knows, it'll probably grow a new one. The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast: While there are many truly beautiful objects in the night sky, arguably the most stunning is Jupiter. Seen up close from spacecraft such as Cassini, the swirling textured surface looks like something that Van Gogh might have painted. The fifth planet from the Sun is easily visible to the naked eye and is more than twice as massive as the other planets combined. If it were a hollow shell, a thousand Earths could fit inside. Curiously for such a large object, Jupiter also has the shortest day in the solar system, being only 10 hours long. Jupiter's size and rapid spin generates a huge coriolis effect - the same force that shapes cyclones and hurricanes on Earth. The striking colours in thick bands across Jupiter are thought to be plumes of sulphur and phosphorus gases. While it might be beautiful, it would not be a happy place to visit. Aside from being a long way, the atmosphere that includes ammonia ice and ammonium hydrosulfide crystals is not recommended. The planet's rotation causes cyclonic storms with winds over 500 kilometres per hour, forming bands of colour, with spots scattered from pole to pole. With no solid surface to slow them down, these spots persist for many years. The first person to observe a spot on Jupiter was Giovanni Cassini in 1672 when he drew pictures using his primitive telescope. By today's standards telescopes were still unsophisticated in the 1800s when the Great Red Spot was first seen. A drawing from 1831 shows a large oval shape that we now know is a giant storm, twice as wide as Earth. MORE ASK FUZZY: Through the 300 years it's been observed, Jupiter's patterns have been constantly evolving. In recent times, three smaller ovals merged to form the Little Red Spot which is about half the size. Now it seems the Great Red Spot is shrinking. In the late 1800s it spanned about 41,000km and in 1979 the NASA Voyager measured it at 23,335 km. Today, the spot's waistline is only 16,500 km, and getting smaller by 1000 kilometres per year. At this rate it could disappear in the near future. It might be sad for our photogenic neighbour to lose its beauty spot, but who knows, it'll probably grow a new one. The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast: While there are many truly beautiful objects in the night sky, arguably the most stunning is Jupiter. Seen up close from spacecraft such as Cassini, the swirling textured surface looks like something that Van Gogh might have painted. The fifth planet from the Sun is easily visible to the naked eye and is more than twice as massive as the other planets combined. If it were a hollow shell, a thousand Earths could fit inside. Curiously for such a large object, Jupiter also has the shortest day in the solar system, being only 10 hours long. Jupiter's size and rapid spin generates a huge coriolis effect - the same force that shapes cyclones and hurricanes on Earth. The striking colours in thick bands across Jupiter are thought to be plumes of sulphur and phosphorus gases. While it might be beautiful, it would not be a happy place to visit. Aside from being a long way, the atmosphere that includes ammonia ice and ammonium hydrosulfide crystals is not recommended. The planet's rotation causes cyclonic storms with winds over 500 kilometres per hour, forming bands of colour, with spots scattered from pole to pole. With no solid surface to slow them down, these spots persist for many years. The first person to observe a spot on Jupiter was Giovanni Cassini in 1672 when he drew pictures using his primitive telescope. By today's standards telescopes were still unsophisticated in the 1800s when the Great Red Spot was first seen. A drawing from 1831 shows a large oval shape that we now know is a giant storm, twice as wide as Earth. MORE ASK FUZZY: Through the 300 years it's been observed, Jupiter's patterns have been constantly evolving. In recent times, three smaller ovals merged to form the Little Red Spot which is about half the size. Now it seems the Great Red Spot is shrinking. In the late 1800s it spanned about 41,000km and in 1979 the NASA Voyager measured it at 23,335 km. Today, the spot's waistline is only 16,500 km, and getting smaller by 1000 kilometres per year. At this rate it could disappear in the near future. It might be sad for our photogenic neighbour to lose its beauty spot, but who knows, it'll probably grow a new one. The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast: While there are many truly beautiful objects in the night sky, arguably the most stunning is Jupiter. Seen up close from spacecraft such as Cassini, the swirling textured surface looks like something that Van Gogh might have painted. The fifth planet from the Sun is easily visible to the naked eye and is more than twice as massive as the other planets combined. If it were a hollow shell, a thousand Earths could fit inside. Curiously for such a large object, Jupiter also has the shortest day in the solar system, being only 10 hours long. Jupiter's size and rapid spin generates a huge coriolis effect - the same force that shapes cyclones and hurricanes on Earth. The striking colours in thick bands across Jupiter are thought to be plumes of sulphur and phosphorus gases. While it might be beautiful, it would not be a happy place to visit. Aside from being a long way, the atmosphere that includes ammonia ice and ammonium hydrosulfide crystals is not recommended. The planet's rotation causes cyclonic storms with winds over 500 kilometres per hour, forming bands of colour, with spots scattered from pole to pole. With no solid surface to slow them down, these spots persist for many years. The first person to observe a spot on Jupiter was Giovanni Cassini in 1672 when he drew pictures using his primitive telescope. By today's standards telescopes were still unsophisticated in the 1800s when the Great Red Spot was first seen. A drawing from 1831 shows a large oval shape that we now know is a giant storm, twice as wide as Earth. MORE ASK FUZZY: Through the 300 years it's been observed, Jupiter's patterns have been constantly evolving. In recent times, three smaller ovals merged to form the Little Red Spot which is about half the size. Now it seems the Great Red Spot is shrinking. In the late 1800s it spanned about 41,000km and in 1979 the NASA Voyager measured it at 23,335 km. Today, the spot's waistline is only 16,500 km, and getting smaller by 1000 kilometres per year. At this rate it could disappear in the near future. It might be sad for our photogenic neighbour to lose its beauty spot, but who knows, it'll probably grow a new one. The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast:
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Jupiter is shrinking and used to be twice as big, mind-boggling study reveals
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Jupiter, the solar system's largest planet, used to be even bigger, according to a new study. The cloud of gas and dust from which the sun and planets formed dissipated around 4.5 billion years ago. At that time, Jupiter was at least twice its current size, and its magnetic field was about 50 times stronger, researchers found. The findings, which the team described in a study published May 20 in the journal Nature Astronomy, could help scientists develop a clearer picture of the early solar system. "Our ultimate goal is to understand where we come from, and pinning down the early phases of planet formation is essential to solving the puzzle," study co-author Konstantin Batygin, a planetary scientist at Caltech, said in a statement. "This brings us closer to understanding how not only Jupiter but the entire solar system took shape." Jupiter's immense gravity — along with the sun's — helped fashion the solar system, shaping the orbits of other planets and rocky bodies. But how the giant planet itself formed remains opaque. To gain a better picture of Jupiter's early days, the researchers studied the present-day, slightly tilted orbits of two of Jupiter's moons, Amalthea and Thebe. The paths these moons chart are similar to what they were when they first formed, but the moons have been pulled slightly over time by their larger, volcanically active neighbor Io. By analyzing the discrepancies between the actual changes and those expected from Io's nudges, the researchers could work out Jupiter's original size. Related: 'This has left us scratching our heads': Astronomers stumped by James Webb telescope's latest views of Jupiter When the solar nebula dissipated, marking the end of planet formation, Jupiter's radius would have been between two and 2.5 times its current size to give Amalthea and Thebe their current orbits, the scientists calculated. Over time, the planet has shrunk to its current size as its surface cools. Then, the team used the radius to calculate the strength of the planet's magnetic field, which would have been around 21 milliteslas — about 50 times stronger than its current value and 400 times stronger than Earth's. "It's astonishing that even after 4.5 billion years, enough clues remain to let us reconstruct Jupiter's physical state at the dawn of its existence," study co-author Fred Adams, an astrophysicist at the University of Michigan, said in the statement. RELATED STORIES —Cloudy with a chance of mushballs: Jupiter's monster storms include softball size hailstones made of ammonia —'This has left us scratching our heads': Astronomers stumped by James Webb telescope's latest views of Jupiter —Is Jupiter's Great Red Spot an impostor? Giant storm may not be the original one discovered 350 years ago The findings sharpen researchers' view of the solar system at a critical transition point in its history. The calculations also don't depend on how Jupiter formed — a process that's still not understood in detail — relying instead on directly observable quantities. "What we've established here is a valuable benchmark," Batygin said in the statement. "A point from which we can more confidently reconstruct the evolution of our solar system." Jupiter is currently shrinking by about 2 centimeters per year, according to Caltech. This is due to the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism — a process by which planets grow smaller as they cool. As Jupiter slowly cools, its internal pressure drops, causing the planet to steadily shrink. It's unclear when this process began.
Buzz Feed
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
My Entire Perspective On The World Was Just Turned Completely Upside Down After Seeing These 25 Absolutely Mind-Blowing Photos
1. 34 years old looks very different on some people: 2. Here's how big the propellers of a modern cruise ship are compared to a person: 3. Queen Elizabeth's dollhouse was as big as, well, you know, a house: She was gifted it in 1933 by the fine people of Wales. It's also still around today. 4. This is what a 20 year old Dolly Parton looked like: Working 9-5, since 1966. 5. This is one of the last pictures of the Titanic ever taken: 6. The extra large size of mayonnaise in some European countries is known as "AMERICAN SIZE:" 7. That's not a tiny strand of hair, it's actually an extremely small drill bit used for constructing models: So, yes. It is a drill bit for ANTS. 8. This is what gummy bears in South Korea look like compared to gummy bears in the United States: 9. This is what the skeleton of a python looks like: 10. This is how much oil one tiny piece of corn chip produces: 11. Hospitals have vein-finders that allow you to shine a line on your body and reveal where your, well, veins are: I could be entertained with this for hours. 12. This is the world's tallest yew hedge, planted in the 1700s and standing over 45 feet tall: Imagine trimming that there hedge. It would be electric. 13. This is how big ostrich eggs are: 14. This is what the Himalayan mountain range looks like from space: 15. This is what a $10 coin looks like: 16. Corner garages not only exist, but also look kinda cool: Nature is beautiful. 17. Vintage cough syrups used to have some... interesting ingredients: 18. People leave cymbals and drumsticks at the grave of former Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham: Like he's an ancient pharoah. 19. Asphalt, folks... it gets really hot: 20. The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is shrinking: NASA According the NASA, "Some unknown activity in the planet's atmosphere may be draining energy and weakening the storm, causing it to shrink." 22. These big fellahs are Hercules beetles, one of the largest types of beetle in the world. They can also fly! Now time to relax. 23. This is what it looks like when a ferris wheel gets deconstructed and taken apart: More like a Ferris WEDGE. 24. Allen keys can be absolutely gigantic: u/subliminalimage / Via Would love to see this bad boy next to that gigantic hedge. 25. And, finally, rolls of toilet paper can be absolutely, astoundingly gigantic: It's... tremendous.
