1. The largest planet in the solar system, accounting for roughly seventy percent of the total planetary mass, and the fifth from the Sun. The largest and innermost of the gas giants, Jupiter makes an interesting sight through even a modest telescope. Orbits the Sun in 11.86 Earth years. Radiates over twice the energy received from the Sun due to gravitational contraction. Temperature at cloud decks about 143 degrees Centigrade below zero. Pronounced equatorial bulge; diameter through the equator is 88,846 miles (to within five miles, measured to the altitude where gas pressure equals that of Earth's air at sea level); diameter through the poles is 83,082 miles. Mass over 317 times that of Earth, volume over 1,321 times that of Earth. Composed mostly of gas, chiefly hydrogen with a considerable amount of helium; traces exist of ammonia, water vapour, methane, ethane, silicon compounds, carbon compounds and sulphur, among others. At greater depths the hydrogen enters molecular and then metallic states not found among gases on Earth; there may be a rock-metal core accounting for perhaps five percent of the planet's mass. The planet does not rotate on its axis as a solid body, but faster in the equatorial regions than around the poles, by about five minutes per rotation; the whole turns once on its axis in just under ten hours. The entire visible face of the planet consists of clouds in the upper reaches of a vast ocean of gas. Has a striped appearance with light zones of upwelling gas and dark, descending belts; there are numerous rotating storm systems, the largest and longest-lived of which is the Great Red Spot, a storm larger than the Earth. Jupiter's powerful magnetosphere, its trailing end still detectable at the orbit of Saturn, funnels considerable amounts of ionising radiation, carrying at its strongest one thousand times the lethal dose for the human body. Jupiter receives comparatively many asteroid and cometary impacts, recently including the string of impacts from the tidally disrupted comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in 1994. Visited by Pioneer, Voyager, Galileo and Cassini probes. Recognised to have 63 satellites at last count; the largest of these, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, are collectively known as the Galilean satellites because they were discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1609-10. (This made them the first extraterrestrial moons discovered, which made for an epochal discovery.) Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system and is larger than, though not as massive as, the planet Mercury. Europa is thought a possible abode for extraterrestrial life.
2. Jupiter's namesake is the big daddy of the gods of ancient Rome, equivalent to the Greek Zeus. Known in full as Jupiter Optimus Maximus Soter; Jupiter the best, the greatest and the Saviour. Popularly imagined sitting on a throne with a bunch of thunderbolts in his left hand. The patron deity of the Roman state, he ruled over laws and the social order. He was the father of Mars and hence mythologically the grandfather of the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
2. Jupiter's namesake is the big daddy of the gods of ancient Rome, equivalent to the Greek Zeus. Known in full as Jupiter Optimus Maximus Soter; Jupiter the best, the greatest and the Saviour. Popularly imagined sitting on a throne with a bunch of thunderbolts in his left hand. The patron deity of the Roman state, he ruled over laws and the social order. He was the father of Mars and hence mythologically the grandfather of the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
Jupiter rose at eight o'clock that evening, and everyone was trying to grab time at the telescopes.
Claudius entered the great temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill.
Claudius entered the great temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill.
by Fearman May 12, 2008
Jimmy hasn't left the house lately. He's writing threatening letters to his great-great-great grandchildren and won't believe they haven't been born yet. It's kind of ironic that he seems to have sphenisciformosanikleptophobia; he won't go to the zoo. Ever.
by Fearman May 27, 2007
1. Sixth planet from the Sun and second largest in the system. The outermost planet known in classical times. 764 times Earth's volume, 94 times its mass. Orbits once in nearly 30 Earth years at a distance of roughly 925 million miles. Gravity at cloud decks averages about 1.16 times that on Earth. The least dense planet in the system, overall density roughly .687 times that of water. Diameter 74,898 miles through the equator, give or take five miles; 67,560 miles through the poles, give or take 13 miles. Average temperature at visible cloud decks is about 185 degrees Centigrade below zero. Atmosphere is mostly hydrogen with some helium and traces of other elements, similar but not identical to that of Jupiter. Cloud patterns appear more subdued than on Jupiter, due at least in part to an upper layer of haze. Best known for its bright and extensive ring system, consisting of countless trillions of blocks of (mainly) water ice. Most of the ring system is within a diameter of 225,000 miles or so, but is only a few hundred feet thick; scaled down to the size of a city, the rings would be as thick as a sheet of newsprint. Saturn has a retinue of major satellites comparable to those around Jupiter; only one of them, Titan, is particularly large. The latter is an intriguing body recently imaged by the Cassini Probe and visited by the Huygens Lander, and the only moon in the solar system with an appreciable atmosphere.
2. Roman god of time and farming, equivalent to the Greek Kronos. Best known for his feeling of unease at the possibility that his sons would outdo him, which he assuaged in the most efficient way possible; by eating them. One of them, however, escaped. His name was Jupiter, and the rest, as they say, is mythology.
3. The family of rockets used in the Apollo mission that (Uncle Sam, take a bow) landed humans on the Moon.
2. Roman god of time and farming, equivalent to the Greek Kronos. Best known for his feeling of unease at the possibility that his sons would outdo him, which he assuaged in the most efficient way possible; by eating them. One of them, however, escaped. His name was Jupiter, and the rest, as they say, is mythology.
3. The family of rockets used in the Apollo mission that (Uncle Sam, take a bow) landed humans on the Moon.
Saturn is often referred to as the Lord of the Rings.
Goya painted Saturn devouring one of his children.
The Saturn V rocket blasted off, taking Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins to the moon.
Goya painted Saturn devouring one of his children.
The Saturn V rocket blasted off, taking Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins to the moon.
by Fearman May 12, 2008
Fear of the fear of fear, widely recognised as the beginning of the worst form of infinite psychic regression.
by Fearman May 27, 2007
Expression used of someone detested and now safely dead, to damn them with faint praise. From the 1989 movie version of Batman, directed by Tim Burton.
Joker (Jack Nicholson) on TV address:
Joker here. Now you fellas have said some pretty mean things. Some of which were true, under that fiend Boss Grissom. He was a thief, and a terrorist. On the other hand he had a tremendous singing voice. He's dead now, and he's left me in charge.
Joker here. Now you fellas have said some pretty mean things. Some of which were true, under that fiend Boss Grissom. He was a thief, and a terrorist. On the other hand he had a tremendous singing voice. He's dead now, and he's left me in charge.
by Fearman March 04, 2008
Term used in referring to an urban myth according to which you may drown if you swim too soon after a meal; apparently you get a cramp and promptly go kerplunk to the bottom. The safe time after the meal, when you can safely swim again, is said to be one hour in Northern Europe, while in Hispanic culture it is often said to be three hours, which is longer than most people spend at the beach. Thought up way back when by some lazy mom who wanted to take a nap in the sun and couldn't bother her ass to look out for the kids; unfortunately it has entered the folk wisdom and some adults end up believing it. Cramps can actually afflict a person at any time and do not adversely affect one's buoyancy in the water. Neither do they do too much damage to your swimming skills, unless perhaps you are participating in an Olympic event. They are more likely to happen as a reaction to exposure to cold water. If you are in an environment where, perhaps due to currents, a cramp could be the difference between life and death, you shouldn't be there, cramps or no cramps. Just ask yourself; have you ever heard a pathologist or coroner announce that the cause of someone's death was "swimming on a full stomach"? No, I didn't think so.
Jimmy was running and screaming along the shore and his mommy was feeling lazy and couldn't be bothered looking out for him, so she invoked Drowns Syndrome.
by Fearman September 14, 2007
Urban myth that blames drowning incidents on swimmers entering the water too soon after a meal; supposedly you get cramps and go kerplunk to the bottom. Used by lazy parents who want to get some decent shut-eye after a picnic. Some adults go on actually believing it too. In fact, cramps can affect you at any time and not particularly after a meal; if they hit you in the water they will not adversely affect your buoyancy nor even do too much damage to your swimming skills. If you are in water where, perhaps due to currents, this affliction would likely make the difference between life and death, you shouldn't be there, cramps or no cramps.
Just ask yourself; what do you think the odds would be if you went up to a coroner or pathologist and asked them if they had ever filed a cause of someone's death as "swimming on a full stomach?" No, I didn't think so.
Just ask yourself; what do you think the odds would be if you went up to a coroner or pathologist and asked them if they had ever filed a cause of someone's death as "swimming on a full stomach?" No, I didn't think so.
Jimmy was screaming and running along the water's edge and his mum was too fat and lazy to watch out for her kids like she ought to, so she invoked Drowns Syndrome.
by Fearman September 14, 2007