Comments on: Planets

By: Tulletilsynet

Tulletilsynet — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:43:14 +0000

There used to be a shipping company in Singapore that had big oil tankers that were named after the planets. The company was called Titan Ocean and the ships were called Titan Mercury, Titan Mars, ….

Unfortunately the Titan Uranus was sold a few years back and its name was changed.

Also, I used to know an amateur astronomer who lived between Greenwich CT and Stamford CT. He used to say, "On a clear night I can see Uranus from Mianus."

By: tiny dancer

tiny dancer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:49:44 +0000

This reminds me of that time I mistakenly took astronomy as an undergrad. The joy of seeing Saturn through the superpowered telescope was not worth the grade I received. I could have waited for the pictures!

BTW, what's that stuff shooting out of Uranus in the photo?

By: sajrocks

sajrocks — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:38:38 +0000

Good decision. I find Hubble's wide field camera tends to add a few pounds to the rings around Uranus.

By: resipsaloquacious

resipsaloquacious — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:36:57 +0000

"This picture, taken in 2007, shows fully visible rings around Uranus. This is a rarity…"

Not around these parts, it ain't.

By: Bucko

Bucko — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:36:19 +0000

Look at the pixels. It's obviously fauxtography.

By: #56

#56 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:35:58 +0000

(This is where Sofia Vergara would throw in a rape joke)

By: resipsaloquacious

resipsaloquacious — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:34:06 +0000

I find it hard to believe that Uranus has not been probed since 1986.

By: #56

#56 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:31:39 +0000

what are you talking about? Uranus is beautiful!

"While we have not sent a probe back to Uranus, the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on board the Hubble Space Telescope has told us much more than Voyager 2 ever could. This picture, taken in 2007, shows fully visible rings around Uranus. This is a rarity, since the rings of the planet are only visible edge-on every 42 years or so."

By: DorothyMantooth

DorothyMantooth — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:16:55 +0000

That looks a lot like my old desktop background!
It was taken from Cassini!
Or Huygens.

Heee. "Huygens" always makes me chuckle.
Huygens.

By: mathnet

mathnet — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:12:33 +0000

That's what she said.

By: garge

garge — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:56:11 +0000

The lack of Pluto weighs upon me my innocence lost.

By: HiredGoons

HiredGoons — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:47:03 +0000

http://www.phenomenica.com/2009/11/ocean-on-jupiters-moon-europa-may.html