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July 25, 2008 Email to a friend    Permalink

Views of Jupiter

Jupiter is in the news again, this time because its "Baby Red Spot" - a storm less than a year old - appears to have been swallowed up by the massive storm known as the Great Red Spot. This is good occasion to share some of the best photographs of Jupiter and its larger system of rings and moons, as seen by various probes and telescopes over the past 30 years. (16 photos total)

Jupiter's moon Io floats above the cloudtops of Jupiter in this image captured January 1, 2001. The image is deceiving: there are 350,000 kilometers - roughly 2.5 Jupiters - between Io and Jupiter's clouds. Io is about the size of our own moon (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

This image of Jupiter's moon Europa rising above Jupiter was captured by the New Horizons spacecraft in February just after it passed Jupiter on its way to Pluto and the outer Solar System. (NASA, Johns Hopkins U. APL, SWRI)

The gibbous phase of Jupiter's moon Europa. The robot spacecraft Galileo captured this image mosaic during its mission orbiting Jupiter from 1995 - 2003. Evidence and images from the Galileo spacecraft, indicated that liquid oceans might exist below the icy surface. (Galileo Project, JPL, NASA; reprocessed by Ted Stryk)

This view of the icy surface of Jupiter's moon, Europa, is a mosaic of two pictures taken by the Solid State Imaging system on board the Galileo spacecraft during a close flyby of Europa on February 20, 1997. The area shown is about 14 kilometers by 17 kilometers (8.7 miles by 10.6 miles), and has a resolution of 20 meters (22 yards) per pixel. One of the youngest features seen in this area is the double ridge cutting across the picture from the lower left to the upper right. This double ridge is about 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles) wide and stands some 300 meters (330 yards) high. (NASA/JPL/ASU)

A composite of several images taken in several colors by the New Horizons Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera, or MVIC, illustrating the diversity of structures in Jupiter's atmosphere, in colors similar to what someone "riding" on New Horizons would see. It was taken near the terminator, the boundary between day and night, and shows relatively small-scale, turbulent, whirlpool-like structures near the south pole of the planet. The dark "holes" in this region are actually places where there is very little cloud cover, so sunlight is not reflected back to the camera. (NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute)

This image, acquired during Galileo's ninth orbit around Jupiter, shows two volcanic plumes on Io. One plume was captured on the bright limb or edge of the moon, erupting over a caldera (volcanic depression) named Pillan Patera. The plume seen by Galileo is 140 kilometers (86 miles) high, and was also detected by the Hubble Space Telescope. The second plume, seen near the terminator, the boundary between day and night, is called Prometheus. The shadow of the airborne plume can be seen extending to the right of the eruption vent. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

A part of the southern hemisphere of Io, seen by the spacecraft Voyager at a range of 74,675 km. In the foreground is gently undulating topography, while in the back-ground are two mountains with their near faces brightly illuminated by the sun. The mountain in the right is approximately 150 km across at its base and its height is probably in excess of 15 km which would make it higher than any mountain on Earth. (NASA/JPL)

This five-frame sequence of New Horizons images captures the giant plume from Io's Tvashtar volcano. Snapped by the probe's Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) as the spacecraft flew past Jupiter earlier this year, this first-ever "movie" of an Io plume clearly shows motion in the cloud of volcanic debris, which extends 330 kilometers (200 miles) above the moon's surface. Only the upper part of the plume is visible from this vantage point - the plume's source is 130 kilometers (80 miles) below the edge of Io's disk, on the far side of the moon. (NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute)

A volcanic plume rises over 300 kilometers above the horizon of Jupiter's moon Io in this image from cameras onboard the New Horizons spacecraft. The volcano, Tvashtar, is marked by the bright glow (about 1 o'clock) at the moon's edge, beyond the terminator or night/day shadow line. The shadow of Io cuts across the plume itself. Also capturing stunning details on the dayside surface, the high resolution image was recorded when the spacecraft was 2.3 million kilometers from Io. Later it was combined with lower resolution color data by astro-imager Sean Walker to produce this sharp portrait of the solar system's most active moon. (NASA, JHU/APL, SwRI - Additional Processing: Sean Walker)

Jupiter's moon Io, seen by NASA's Galileo spacecraft against a backdrop of Jupiter's cloud tops, which appear blue in this false-color composite. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

A mosaic of Jupiter's ring system, acquired by NASA's Galileo spacecraft when the Sun was behind the planet, and the spacecraft was in Jupiter's shadow peering back toward the Sun. (NASA/JPL/Cornell University)

The first color movie of Jupiter from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows what it would look like to peel the entire globe of Jupiter, stretch it out on a wall into the form of a rectangular map, and watch its atmosphere evolve with time. The brief movie clip spans 24 Jupiter rotations between Oct. 31 and Nov. 9, 2000. The darker blips that appear are several moons and their shadows. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

An image of the leading hemisphere of Ganymede seen by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Many fragmented regions of dark terrain split by lanes of bright grooved terrain cover the surface. Several bright young craters can be seen, including a linear chain of craters near the center of the image which may have resulted from the impact of a fragmented comet, similar to comet Shoemaker-Levy/9 which hit Jupiter in 1994. (NASA/JPL/Brown University)

The area of Nicholson Regio and Arbela Sulcus illustrates many of the diverse terrain types on Jupiter's moon Ganymede, as seen in this image taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The image covers an area approximately 89 by 26 kilometers (55by 16 miles). (NASA/JPL/Brown University)

Jupiter's Great Red seen by NASA's Voyager spacecraft. July, 1979 Around the northern boundary a white cloud is seen, which extends to east of the region. The presence of this cloud prevents small cloud vortices from circling the spot in the manner seen in the Voyager 1 encounter. Another white oval cloud (different from the one present in this position three months ago) is seen south of the Great Red Spot. This image was taken on July 6, 1979 from a range of 2,633,003 kilometers. The Red Spot is 20,000 km across. (NASA/JPL)

This true color mosaic of Jupiter was constructed from images taken by the narrow angle camera onboard NASA's Cassini spacecraft on December 29, 2000, as the spacecraft neared Jupiter during its flyby of the giant planet. It is the most detailed global color portrait of Jupiter ever produced. Although Cassini's camera can see more colors than humans can, Jupiter here looks the way that the human eye would see it. (NASA/JPL/SSI)

More links and information:
On Jupiter, a Battle of the Red Spots, With the Baby Losing - NYTimes.com 7/22
Jupiter - wikipedia entry
nasaimages.org - a new comprehensive database of NASA images

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the pics r so good that, it looks as though i was right near the Jupiter and its moons.....

Truly awesome and spectacular.....

Great work, dude !!!

Posted by pat July 28, 08 11:45 AM
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"Proof there is no God, Posted by Richard Gervais July 26, 08 01:29 AM"

See how long can you stay there with human made regulator before you see God, you moron.

Posted by Krik July 28, 08 12:17 PM
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Absolutely fascinating!

Posted by Ann Bakst July 28, 08 01:53 PM
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whoa!

Posted by dff July 28, 08 04:51 PM
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beprotiskai fantastiska

Posted by joopeeter July 28, 08 04:51 PM
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Does anyone know a good sources for keeping track of which moons are where when you view Jupiter through a telescope?

Posted by nubinski July 28, 08 05:36 PM
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I couldn't read all of the comments before adding my own. (I'm 80, you know) Some comments were totally funny and some others seemed as awed and amazed as I was.

Posted by Dorothy Scheible July 28, 08 06:26 PM
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I agree with Prince Underwood. Sincerely, Michael Dell.

Posted by Mike Dell July 28, 08 09:33 PM
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nuostabu :)

Posted by :)Jolita July 29, 08 12:51 AM
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i`m waiting next colection it was cool best what i seen im the world

Posted by Anonymous July 29, 08 01:59 AM
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geras vaizdas. noreciau pasimyleti jupiteryje.

Posted by Sexy girl July 29, 08 02:46 AM
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Tanks, Very Good..... I am Mehrdad Soleymani Photograph&Camera man

Posted by mehrdad_soleymani July 29, 08 02:49 AM
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super!......graziai atrodo.


wonderfull!!!!!!!

Posted by Ilona July 29, 08 03:48 AM
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amazing

Posted by from lithaunia July 29, 08 05:50 AM
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Isn't God awesome to create such majesty.

Posted by Dinah July 29, 08 06:21 AM
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VERY NICE

Posted by MOHAMMAD (IRAN_MASHHAD) July 29, 08 11:27 AM
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Absolutely mindblowing... signs of an awesome God!

JD

Posted by James Day July 29, 08 11:28 AM
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I agree with Tom #141. Further exploration and development of our Space program and the World in which we live would bring Hope and Spirit to many people. There will always be poverty in some form or another. There is always another bill to be paid.

But I will pull out my checkbook with a smile on my face, because there is wonder and beauty. And there is Hope....

Posted by Tzmystique July 29, 08 02:13 PM
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thank you.

Posted by Amirmansour shojaee(IRAN_TEHRAN July 29, 08 02:29 PM
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Given what we are doing to Earth, I'm not only willing to pay my $58 a year for the space program, I'll up it to $75. Maybe that will get my progeny a seat on one of the ships.

re: Proof of God; Proof there is no God. Settle down people; it's a planet (at least for now). There is no proof here of God, nor any refute either. But it was humans that made those shots possible.

Posted by Noxious Nan July 29, 08 06:49 PM
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The best photo's I have ever seen. ..Wow....!!

Thanks for putting them together and sharing

Posted by TJ Berry July 29, 08 11:54 PM
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Excellent. Thanks.
When we look at the space and see all those fantastic planets or stars we can understand how small is our earth planet and how smaller are we, human beings.

thanks again.

Posted by Georgyone July 30, 08 12:48 AM
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No words can truly define the beauty of the universe/space or time..

Posted by Ken July 30, 08 01:33 AM
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the beautities beyond!

Posted by dotani July 30, 08 07:27 AM
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we not know god

Posted by Anonymous July 30, 08 11:17 AM
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It is very goooooooooooooooooooood.....
I LIKE EVRYYYYYY PLANET......

Posted by Anonymous July 30, 08 06:13 PM
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It is very goooooooooooooooooooood!!!!!!!!!

my god~!!!!! jupter~~~!!!

Posted by yangjinsub July 30, 08 09:20 PM
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absolutely amazing!!!!!

Posted by mathew lothian July 31, 08 02:04 PM
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Never ever be afraid of leaving earth . Heaven's waiting ...

Posted by wi July 31, 08 04:24 PM
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Unreal photo's,!

Posted by CoLe,* July 31, 08 04:41 PM
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this is incredible ! can i download these picture ? i want to make a translation of your pic and notes ,then distribute it with your credit on it ?

Posted by rizkyramadhan July 31, 08 09:52 PM
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simply stunning images

Posted by johnny olsen August 1, 08 03:41 AM
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Gott weiss ich wil kein engel sein!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Kreitoff [Der_Meister] Sergio August 1, 08 04:47 AM
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That was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by kennan August 1, 08 08:47 AM
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very nice place to live :D

Posted by roodi August 1, 08 11:14 AM
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I was mesmerized by the truly breathtaking photos of Jupiter.

AWESOME Masterpiece !

Posted by Kathy August 2, 08 06:51 PM
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I love all these amazing photos.

Posted by Bhola Pradhan August 3, 08 02:24 AM
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Deze foto's zijn de beste die ik ooit onder ogen heb gezien.

Dank je wel,en groeten uit The Netherlands

Posted by Jos Weijers August 3, 08 07:53 AM
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How truly awesome that we have the technology to send machines to these far off places (and this is within our own planetary system!!) and to get back such incredible images!! And in the scheme of things...our own planetary system is vast but our Milky Way galaxy is even bigger and then we have all these other galaxies outside of the Milky Way !! It boggles the mind!!
Thanks for sharing these great pix!

Posted by bea August 3, 08 08:52 AM
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you have to see these pic man there great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by lexi August 3, 08 01:36 PM
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I am a Jupiter freak.!!!I I would like to dream that we all live in Jupiter and we will all fit and not be crowded, 5 billion biengs can live there someday.
I will give you my blessings for putting this pictures in our dream world.

Posted by Lorna Adolfo md August 3, 08 07:56 PM
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muito muito lindo fiquei sem ar sу de olhar as fotos incrнvel que universo facinante que sistema solar й este o nosso imaginem o que tem pelo universo а fora gostaria de viver 1000 anos para poder ver todas as descobertas que o ser humana irб fazer........

Posted by william haddad from Brazil August 3, 08 11:56 PM
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Grossartig, herrlich!
Vielen Dank aus Bayern, wo man zur Zeit den Jupiter fantastisch strahlen sieht.

Posted by Ziggy August 4, 08 03:44 AM
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Ich war Sterntaler aus dem Maerchen, ein Maedchen mit einem nassen Shirt, staunend, ergeben, bittend und wuenschend.

Posted by Michaela August 4, 08 08:31 AM
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where can i get theese pictures as a wallpaper for my desktop

Posted by micha August 4, 08 12:08 PM
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labai grazios jupiterio ir jo palydovu nuotraukos...

Posted by svajoklis August 4, 08 12:22 PM
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As we all sit and dream in our own little universe......These pictures make us realize what a big and beautiful not world, but universe is out there for all of us to enjoy and explore. Dream big, as you can attain it if you want it. The pictures are very thought provoking!!!

Posted by Linda Hoagland August 4, 08 06:55 PM
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The meaning of the influence of Jupiter over the earth is completed with its color- full aspect so beautiful like the best moments in the process of living.

Posted by alfredo gaudry August 4, 08 07:20 PM
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ONE DAY,,,,one day indeed, I will sail among all planets.
Thas fer sure,,,,,,,FOR DANG SURE!!!!

Posted by Fred Driehs August 5, 08 02:37 PM
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THIS IS A WONDERFUL VIEW OF JUPITER & ITS MOON. WHAT A GOD ,WHAT AN UNIVERSE AND WHAT AJUPITER

Posted by NAVEENMITTAR August 6, 08 03:15 AM
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All these worlds are yours, except Europa. Attempt no landing there.

:}

Posted by HAL August 6, 08 03:50 AM
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how marvellous is the universe,it is the grace of ALLAH.

Posted by RAO ASIM ATIQUE August 7, 08 03:40 AM
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Now we can see it in a more detailed view than before. It's so strange. That huge planet is so strange. Gas giants are so amazing/strange...

I'm glad to see this giant planet. The photo is a nice (and f***ng expensive) work. Well done. Very well....

Watch those giant storms down there.

If some kind of life exist on this planet, what kind of scary/weird life it is? Huge bacterium like glowing gasbags? Huh. We are the flashbags from Earth :-D


T

Posted by Amanita August 7, 08 01:16 PM
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just fantastic i can say it was.beautiful and just extraordinary

Posted by muhammad haris mansoor August 9, 08 12:36 AM
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beautiful...love it

Posted by Anonymous August 9, 08 01:28 PM
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amazing its not as good as when we get to pluto.

Posted by mike August 9, 08 11:26 PM
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Subhanallah !!!!!!!
This prove their is someone who created this whole world.......
Ofcourse there is GOD who created this.......

Posted by Syed zain ul hassan August 10, 08 12:27 PM
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Amazing!!!!!!! wow

Posted by zain August 10, 08 12:47 PM
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wooooooooooh!

Posted by james oliver August 10, 08 03:46 PM
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breathtaking.

Posted by nanimo August 11, 08 08:58 PM
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grazie per queste meraviglie della natura che ci fate vedere. un saluto dall'Italia per tutti gli italiani in America

Posted by fiorella da roma ( italy ) August 12, 08 03:26 AM
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incredibly beautiful!

Posted by cs August 12, 08 07:08 AM
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incredibly beautiful!

Posted by cs August 12, 08 07:13 AM
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AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Stephen August 12, 08 04:14 PM
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мегакруто!

Posted by Anonymous August 13, 08 11:42 AM
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very fascinating !

Posted by Pirat Kesa August 13, 08 12:05 PM
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i think it's amazing

Posted by laura August 13, 08 02:40 PM
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Ju;pitar has been very nice of late, Guess I'm going to get a larger scope. The pics of the moons are incredible. What kind of a lense must they use for such detail.

Posted by Dave Preston August 15, 08 07:27 AM
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amazing and actually i think that everyone needs to see this daily, to realise that we're just a tiny creature, sometimes creative, sometimes destructive to this beautiful world... Carpe diem...


greatings nancy from Belgium

Posted by nancy August 15, 08 07:45 AM
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Thanks for all presidents since 50's , it really 'a great pace for Human beings" as quoted by Armstrong -- the first astronaut who step onto the surface of the moon.

Greeting from Greg Lam --- Hong Kong SAR

Posted by Greg , King-Cheong, Lam August 16, 08 06:50 AM
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this is just the coolist sight to see. I hope one day i can see it up close with one of my best friends!

Posted by Jenny August 17, 08 12:55 AM
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oon vaght migan khoda nist...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????????

Posted by god bless you August 17, 08 12:06 PM
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...la tierra es mas linda

Posted by terricola August 20, 08 06:21 PM
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216. To deny God is to deny creation. The order of the heavens is possible only as the work of a Creator. God caused the "big bang" from which all things began. Otherwise there was nothing, then there was something? I think not..

THESE PICS ARE MAGNIFICENT, MAJESTIC, AND SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!

Posted by Don Dance August 22, 08 06:46 PM
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muy lindas fotos...espectaculares !!!! muchas gracias por compartirlas.

Julieta from Comodoro Rivadavia - Argentina

Posted by Julieta August 26, 08 07:43 PM
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awesome pictures!

Posted by Lem August 27, 08 03:25 AM
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increibles imбgenes........

Posted by Anonymous August 27, 08 09:05 AM
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Wow! And then some! It will be a hundred years before man can make this journey.

Posted by Bob Fulkerson August 27, 08 11:38 AM
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No place is beautifull like our earth.

Posted by Munem Khan August 28, 08 12:40 AM
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Waoooo ya dona ki sab say beautiful plase ha

Posted by Anonymous August 28, 08 01:11 PM
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Posted by aerodinamik August 30, 08 03:12 AM
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fabulus

Posted by allie August 30, 08 07:58 AM
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Fine and i like your picture

Posted by Sajid Iqbal Khan Khattak September 9, 08 02:03 AM
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I guess they're OK

; )

Posted by Unappreciative B. Stard September 10, 08 12:24 PM
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It is simply Incredible

Posted by Kiran September 11, 08 04:55 AM
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I love looking at Jupiter through my telescope

Posted by Will September 12, 08 03:43 AM
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can we live on the planet?

Posted by jezzy September 12, 08 03:56 AM
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this website roks!!!!

Posted by Anonymous September 12, 08 12:19 PM
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jupiter is soo amazing!! simple breath taking!

Posted by kala September 12, 08 02:53 PM
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they are AMAZING PICTURES

Posted by KAHMIL COOPER September 22, 08 10:24 AM
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i love jupitr it is sooooooooooooooo cool grrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttttt

Posted by Anonymous September 22, 08 06:01 PM
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Posted by aerodinamik September 23, 08 08:26 AM
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WOW!!! jupiter is very big and it move so fast. Do it have lots of winds?

Posted by kenyatta September 24, 08 02:28 PM
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Posted by avtodinamika September 24, 08 07:00 PM
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wow this will really help me in science

Posted by Daisy September 26, 08 06:48 PM
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WOW, Allah is only the creator of the universe.
Jupiter rotates so fast, even it's 11 times larger then earth, but it rotates around it's axis in just 10 hours!

Posted by Space September 29, 08 01:12 AM
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it's amasing wow this is the best site ever

Posted by Sean October 10, 08 04:04 AM
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i like the moon

Posted by Anonymous October 12, 08 10:22 AM
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it is weird, isn't it, that all of the universe appears beautiful to us although we only descend from earth. it's all the same maths and we find the most stunning eyes (geared for our senses of truth and beauty) in unreachable faraway places

Posted by nemo October 14, 08 12:06 PM
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this is coo

Posted by janna riem October 15, 08 02:05 PM
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