Extremely Cool Astronomy News

[Baron Munchausen]

The Mars Global Surveyor has taken a picture of Earth from Mars. Even cooler, it got Jupiter into the same picture. You can check it out at the original site --http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2003/05/22/ -- but that might be bogged down because it was posted to slashdot.org and lots of geeks are looking at it. The slashdot story can be found at http://science.slashdot.org/science/...d=134&tid=160. The original picture has been posted on a mirror at http://www.dpk.net/earth_jupiter_100.jpg where it's much easier to access.

[Master Belisarius]

Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
The Mars Global Surveyor has taken a picture of Earth from Mars. Even cooler, it got Jupiter into the same picture. You can check it out at the original site --http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2003/05/22/ -- but that might be bogged down because it was posted to slashdot.org and lots of geeks are looking at it. The slashdot story can be found at http://science.slashdot.org/science/...d=134&tid=160. The original picture has been posted on a mirror at http://www.dpk.net/earth_jupiter_100.jpg where it's much easier to access.

A very very cool picture!

[Taz-in-Space]

Umm, Taz is a little confused. (not an uncommon occurance)
Isn't the Mars BETWEEN the Earth and Jupitor? So how can you get a picture of BOTH without the sun in between?

[Slick]

code:

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S

 

 

 





E......

       ...........   

 angle of pic     .......M

       ...........

J.....



 

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S = Sun
E = Earth
M = Mars
J = Jupiter
Each planet is at a different radius from the sun but they can be at different points in the orbit.

Crude graphics, but you get the picture (pun intended).

Slick.

[ May 23, 2003, 04:15: Message edited by: Slick ]

[geoschmo]

That makes sense slick, but it still looks wrong to me. Shouldn't the planets be side to side instead of top to bottom? I thought maybe the image was sideways, but then the shadow on earth would be wrong and the cloud bands on jupiter too.

Geoschmo

[Slick]

code:

---

 



S

 

 

 





.......

       ........E...   

 angle of pic     .......M

       ...........

J.....



 

---

Ok people, think in 3d spacially. The visible bands on Jupiter show the "plane" of the planets (since its axis is roughly perpendicular to the plane), however the plane is not totally flat and judging by the relative sizes, earth is much closer to the camera than Jupiter and slightly higher in the plane of the planets. This gives the "above" effect. The angle I show is for illustration purposes but must in actuality be very very small - almost zero so that the earth appears almost "above" Jupiter.

Slick.

[ May 23, 2003, 06:34: Message edited by: Slick ]