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REPORT ABUSIVE REPLY
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Message Subject
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Jupiter is moving towards us! DOOM on!!
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Poster Handle
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Reality420 |
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Post Content
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[ link to www.universetoday.com] This article says that Jupiter is between 4.2 au and 6.2 au from earth, but I used a iPhone app that shows Jupiter getting closer and is presently 3.9 au! Goskywatch is the app. WTF! Jupiter is heading our way!! Mr. Coffey seems to have gotten wrong numbers. Using the numbers from wikipedia I get the shortest possible distance as 588,475,368 km ~ 3.92 AU. And as the furthest possible distance 966,119,061 km ~ 6.44 AU. Coffey got both wrong. He actually links to NASA's Jupiter Fact Sheet which does have nearly the same, though less precise, numbers as wiki. [ link to nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov] Somehow he managed to be 6.8% and 1.6% off, and I just can't figure out what the mistake was that he made.Embarrassing.  Just goes to show it always pays to double check. He used the semi-major axis for the closest approach which gives him the 4.2AU. Odd, since he states in his article, "Earth and Jupiter are closest to each other when Earth is at aphelion and Jupiter is at perihelion." This would give him the correct figure of ~3.92AU as you've shown. Just a brain cramp on Mr. Coffey's part I guess. Have fun. R.
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