Picture of the day

Via the Bad Astronomy blog and NASA's HubbleSite, comes a look at a mysterious black spot on Jupiter that has healed itself up. The oddness? That to create that spot there would have had to have been AN EXPLOSION THE SIZE OF SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSANDS NUCLEAR BOMBS!!!! KA-BOOM!!! NO one is really sure how it all happened though. Did an asteroid or comet hit it that we didn't see? Are the Jupitarians going through some sort of massive civil war? Did we launch a couple hundred thousand nukes at Jupiter just for shits and giggles?

OK, it was probably an asteroid, but if we didn't see it coming beforehand and aren't totally sure what happened... what's that bode for humanity, Earth, and any possible asteroid that comes hurtling at us? BRUCE WILLIS CAN'T SAVE US IN REAL LIFE! But there we are: space based fiery sky death could even be more sudden and unexpected than we previously thought. Sweet dreams! Just kidding, we'll definitely have killed ourselves off before any space rock gets a chance. Sweet dreams!

Click to embiggen.

We are also not going to die by asteroid strike

Earlier I had to regretfully inform you all that were were not going to die in a flu pandemic. But then I was filled with hope: a new asteroid was discovered Monday and might smash into us today. But alas...

A small (10 meter wide) asteroid will pass by the Earth Wednesday, at 12:47 UT. This tiny rock, called 2010 AL30, will pass us at a safe distance of 130,000 km (80,000 miles). As cosmic encounters go, this is a hair’s breadth, but in human terms it’s a long way off
...
And since I know someone would ask, if this were aimed at us, it would probably explode high up in the atmosphere and not hit the ground. It would be quite a show, but most likely wouldn’t do any damage on the ground (even if it were iron, at that size it’s unlikely it would make it to the ground, and instead would tear itself to pieces on the way in).

This graphic also explains how far away it will actually pass.

What's a planet gotta do to get flung into an apocalypse, huh God? Have we not offended you enough? Have we not invited your wrath? Have we not practically taunted you to rain fire down on us? All you can muster is some weak kneed pig shit and a piddling asteroid that won't even come in danger of hitting a satellite? I'm disappointed in you. Hang your head in shame, Lord. You're not the man this comic led me to believe you were.


Get it together Jehovah and start raining down the hellfire.