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Mystery Pioneer Image Of Jupiter
gndonald
post Jul 20 2005, 02:02 AM
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This is my first post on this forum, so I thought I'd try and make it interesting wink.gif

I own a book entitled "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Space Exploration" (Richard S Lewis, Salamander Books, 1983). It is a 'coffee table' history of space exploration up to that point.

One picture on page 203 is . It is an image of the north temperate region of Jupiter allegedly taken by Pioneer 10.

What the picture also shows is what appears to be a 'spacecraft' flying across the image from upper left to upper right leaving a bluish exhaust trail.

I had planned to include a scan of the image, but my scanner is kaput, so the directions will have to suffice.

First, has anyone else seen the picture in question?

Second, does anyone have any idea what might have produced this picture (other than a 'spacecraft')?

Is there a Pioneer Image archive?
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Guest_BruceMoomaw_*
post Jul 20 2005, 07:29 AM
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I need to take a look at the book -- but this has GOT to be either an electronic flaw in the picture itself, or a simple printing error on that page. Rest assured that if anything that peculiar-looking and real had shown up on any of the Pioneer photos, we would have heard about it by now.
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gndonald
post Jul 20 2005, 07:54 AM
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QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Jul 20 2005, 03:29 PM)
I need to take a look at the book -- but this has GOT to be either an electronic flaw in the picture itself, or a simple printing error on that page.  Rest assured that if anything that peculiar-looking and real had shown up on any of the Pioneer photos, we would have heard about it by now.
*


I'm inclining towards that interpretation myself. There is one other image in the book in the Jupiter section which is described as a computer manipulation of several Voyager images to get a 'pole down' (or up) view of Jupiter.

I had a look at the Pioneer Jupiter images in the online copy of Pioneer Odyssey, there are three possible candidates for the image in the book. (here, here and here.) I'm beginning to suspect that these images were 'stiched' together to make the image shown on page 203 and that the 'spacecraft' was added at that time, I'm going to check the picture credits in the book.
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edstrick
post Jul 20 2005, 08:00 AM
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*Anyway, it would have been physically impossible for Pioneer to take a picture of an object moving at all rapidly between the spacecraft and jupiter. Pictures were scanned one pixel at a time by the rotation of the spacecraft and the stepping of the 1-inch "telescope" one pixel per rotation, and built up over 10 min to 1/2 hour.
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gndonald
post Jul 20 2005, 10:38 AM
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This is an update to my earlier post, which I sent without having a copy of the book to hand.

The computer manipulated image of the polar clouds of Jupiter is on page 213 of the edition I have.

After carefully comparing the picture on page 203 with the most likely of the images in Pioneer Odyssey I think that the p152 image is the best match, but I still cannot link the image to a specific picture.

Checking the image credits at the back of the book indicates that the picture in question is credited to NASA.

The more I look at the image I cannot shake the suspicion that someone added the 'spacecraft' to the image, but without being able to match the picture to a published image I will not say this for certain.

Ed, you're also right, there is no way that Pioneer could have captured the image in question.
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tedstryk
post Jul 20 2005, 12:33 PM
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Might it be one of the moons with the blue channel image not properly aligned?


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gndonald
post Jul 20 2005, 04:22 PM
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QUOTE (tedstryk @ Jul 20 2005, 08:33 PM)
Might it be one of the moons with the blue channel image not properly aligned?
*


No, firstly the rest of the image is properly aligned. Second the object looks like someone has added a 'rocketship' to the picture.

I'm going to visit a net cafe with a scanner tomorrow and try and get an image to post to the forum.
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gndonald
post Jul 21 2005, 12:49 PM
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I've been to a net cafe that had a scanner and had a copy made of the image in question.

I've attached it to this post so it can be studied by those who have been unable to locate a copy of the book.
Attached thumbnail(s)
Attached Image
 
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djellison
post Jul 21 2005, 01:49 PM
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Looks like it's much higher resolution that the actual image in question, and thus could well be an artifact introduced while printing the book?

ODug
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TheChemist
post Jul 21 2005, 02:33 PM
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What kind of image is this, could it maybe a drawing ?
Jupiter appears as an "hexagonal" network of red and yellow colors (much like C-60, a fullerene smile.gif )
The rocket is clearly added afterwards, maybe this was a joke for the book editor ?
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um3k
post Jul 21 2005, 02:36 PM
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QUOTE (TheChemist @ Jul 21 2005, 10:33 AM)
Jupiter appears as an "hexagonal" network of red and yellow colors (much like C-60, a fullerene  smile.gif )
*

That is an artifact of the scanning (presumably).
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tedstryk
post Jul 21 2005, 02:37 PM
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It is definitely not an original part of the image. It is out of sync with the IPP scan lines, so instrument noise is out of the question. It is either something drawn in or a defect in the book printing.


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Jeff7
post Jul 21 2005, 03:25 PM
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QUOTE (um3k @ Jul 21 2005, 09:36 AM)
That is an artifact of the scanning (presumably).
*


Artifact of the printing, actually. Look really close at newsprint pictures sometime.

The effect there can be eliminated by use of a "moire removal filter."
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Chmee
post Jul 21 2005, 03:27 PM
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It appears to me the author or illustrator of the book had a little fun and drew in the image of the spacecraft. smile.gif
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ljk4-1
post Jul 21 2005, 03:29 PM
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QUOTE (Chmee @ Jul 21 2005, 10:27 AM)
It appears to me the author or illustrator of the book had a little fun and drew in the image of the spacecraft.  smile.gif
*


I think this is how the Mars Face got its start.


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and feel as if I had done some wrong, and it is hard to forget the ugly circumstance.
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and coarse. But the longest intercourse with Nature, though in her rudest moods, does
not thus harden and make coarse. A hard, sensible man whom we liken to a rock is
indeed much harder than a rock. From hard, coarse, insensible men with whom I have
no sympathy, I go to commune with the rocks, whose hearts are comparatively soft."

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