What with graduate school and all, I almost forgot about the thing I have been anticipating for months -- the Cassini spacecraft's superclose flyby of Iapetus. It's happening right now apparently. So finally we might find out whether or not that crazy equatorial ring really is a spaceship runway like the UFOologists say. I mean, obviously a perfectly straight line of mountains on the equator can't be explained by natural regularities or random chance, so it's got to be ID, right? And of course the creos will say that whatever they find is evidence for a young universe.Iapetus flyby today!
What with graduate school and all, I almost forgot about the thing I have been anticipating for months -- the Cassini spacecraft's superclose flyby of Iapetus. It's happening right now apparently. So finally we might find out whether or not that crazy equatorial ring really is a spaceship runway like the UFOologists say. I mean, obviously a perfectly straight line of mountains on the equator can't be explained by natural regularities or random chance, so it's got to be ID, right? And of course the creos will say that whatever they find is evidence for a young universe.
12 Comments
Thumpalumpacus · 10 September 2007
The answer's obvious: The Great Squirrel God needs walnuts, too. Sheesh, you science-types are too much sometimes.
Darth Vader · 10 September 2007
I find your lack of faith disturbing.
Coin · 10 September 2007
That's. No. Moon.
Venus Mousetrap · 10 September 2007
Hail Sciurus!
Bill Gascoyne · 10 September 2007
"I have a bad feeling about this."
Chili Pepper · 10 September 2007
All hail the great Pac-Man God!
mplavcan · 10 September 2007
Slacker. Poor manufacturing. The mold must have slipped. That's what happens when you try to do everything in just 6 days.
stefan · 11 September 2007
I say it's a conspiracy. They took a macro photo of a walnut and photoshop'd it. They don't want you to see what Iapetus *really* looks like, which is like a giant walnut.
Which proves...
oops gotta run bye
Henry J · 12 September 2007
Maybe Iapetus is a big nut left there by an enormous alien squirrel that will come back for it when hungry... :D
Jeff Lanam · 12 September 2007
Posted by mplavcan on September 10, 2007 4:43 PM (e)
Slacker. Poor manufacturing. The mold must have slipped. That’s what happens when you try to do everything in just 6 days.
And on the afternoon of the sixth day, around 4:55, the LORD created Iapetus. And the LORD sayeth, "That will have to do."
Henry J · 12 September 2007
JohnS · 13 September 2007
It's not much of a UFO runway. At least not if the new close-up of a portion of it is representative.
Nick's second link is currently showing an image titled The Himalayas of Iapetus.
It's very impressive but mainly because it is the antithesis of smooth and level.
The Dalmation effect at the borders of the snow and the 'tar' is striking, too. The person who comes up with the explanation for these substances is going make a name for themselves, if I can state the obvious.