New Hubble Video Shows Jupiter in Glorious Ultra High Definition

New Hubble Video Shows Jupiter in Glorious Ultra High Definition

Using data acquired by the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists at NASA have updated their maps of Jupiter. The new images—shown in 4K ultra high definition—reveal changes to the Great Red Spot and rare waves not seen since the Voyager 2 mission.

NASA updates its maps of Jupiter each year, but this year’s project proved to be particularly fascinating.

The two new maps were captured by Hubble’s high-performance Wide Field Camera 3 and analyzed by planetary scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The maps, which show back-to-back rotations of the planet, make it possible to study a broad range of features, including winds, clouds, storms, and atmospheric chemistry.

New Hubble Video Shows Jupiter in Glorious Ultra High Definition

Close-ups of the Great Red Spot reveals a unique filamentary feature not previously seen. (Image and caption credit: NASA/ESA/Goddard/UCBerkeley/JPL-Caltech/STScI)

Analysis of the Great Red Spot shows that it’s getting smaller and more circular. The spot, which is now more orange than red, measures 150 miles (240 km) along its long axis. The NASA scientists noticed an unusual wispy filament within the spot, which has never been seen before. This filamentary streamer is being tossed around by winds reaching upwards of 330 mph (150 meters/second).

New Hubble Video Shows Jupiter in Glorious Ultra High Definition

This false-color close-up of Jupiter shows cyclones (arrows) and the elusive wave (vertical lines). (Image and caption credits: NASA/ESA/Goddard/UCBerkeley/JPL-Caltech/STScI)

The scientists also noticed a rare wave just north of the planet’s equator. The phenomenon was first spotted by the Voyager 2 spacecraft during its historic flyby in 1979, but hasn’t been seen since. The wave is situated in an area replete with cyclones and anticylones. Similar waves, called baroclinic waves, have been seen in Earth’s atmosphere where cyclones are forming.

[ NASA ]


Email the author at george@gizmodo.com and follow him at @dvorsky. Top image by NASA/ESA/Goddard/UCBerkeley/JPL-Caltech/STScI

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New Hubble Video Shows Jupiter in Glorious Ultra High Definition

America’s Greatest Driving Road Is A Giant Secret

As a well-traveled car enthusiast I thought I’d heard of all the greatest roads in North America. I’d driven the Tail of the Dragon and Highway 1. I used to live next to Skyline Drive. It turns out there was a better road, but it was just a secret.

In this episode of Jalopnik Investigates we look at California State Route 33, an orgasmic stretch of road that starts in Ojai and terminates in the middle of nowhere.

While some Californians and fans of Matt Farah have seen bits of and pieces of the road in videos, it generally doesn’t get mentioned when people talk about the greatest roads. In my experience, it’s the best place you can drive in North America.

America's Greatest Driving Road Is A Giant Secret

There’s the perfect mix of elevation, scenery, turns, and pacing that make it exciting to drive in both directions. During the week it’s also fairly empty with only limited law enforcement.

What’s better than that?


Contact the author at matt@jalopnik.com.

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America’s Greatest Driving Road Is A Giant Secret

How to love your Apple TV and hate iTunes, successfully (and Apple TV 4 giveaway!)

Admit it, you’re not necessarily a fan of all Apple’s products. Some are life changers for sure – you’ll have to pry my iPhone out of my cold, dead hands. Others are maybe more, ‘meh’. iTunes falls into that latter category for a lot of people. While it was groundbreaking back in the day, these […]

Visit What’s on iPhone for the best iPad and iPhone app reviews!
Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!

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How to love your Apple TV and hate iTunes, successfully (and Apple TV 4 giveaway!)

The Navy Is Teaching Celestial Navigation Again as a Backup Plan Against Hackers 

The Navy Is Teaching Celestial Navigation Again as a Backup Plan Against Hackers 

The Naval Academy hasn’t taught midshipmen how to navigate by the stars in nearly 20 years, but it’s reintroducing the old-school approach to maritime travel. Why use a sextant instead of computers and GPS? Worries about ships stranded by cyber-attacks, which have the Navy re-thinking its reliance on tech.

The Capital Gazette talked to Naval Academy employees about the decision to bring back the shuttered program:

“We went away from celestial navigation because computers are great,” said Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Rogers, the deputy chairman of the academy’s Department of Seamanship and Navigation. “The problem is,” he added, “there’s no backup.”

This doesn’t mean that the Navy will suddenly have itself a bunch of Ernest Shackleton types. They’re only getting three hours of celestial navigation training right now—hardly enough to provide a realistic buffer against cyber-attack induced technical difficulties.

Midshipmen started receiving instruction this past summer at the Naval Academy, which is adding more courses. The Class of 2017 will be the first to graduate with the instruction.

[Washington Post | Capital Gazette, h/t Sultana Khan]

Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

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The Navy Is Teaching Celestial Navigation Again as a Backup Plan Against Hackers 

Make Thai Sticky Rice Using a Colander and a Pot

Make Thai Sticky Rice Using a Colander and a Pot

Thai sticky rice (also known as sweet rice or glutinous rice) is a delightfully interactive grain that can be shaped into little balls and scoops that are perfect for dipping. The sticky stuff is usually made with a fancy basket, but you can make it with your colander.

We’ve previously discussed making Thai sticky rice using a spatter guard, but Food 52 argues that a colander is even better. Not only does it hold more rice than a spatter guard, but it’s a much more common kitchen item. (I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a spatter guard.)

Cooking the rice is pretty simple, but the most important part is buying the correct rice. Don’t overthink it, just know that Jasmine rice is not what you’re looking for; look for a rice (preferably a Thai brand like Three Horses) with words like “Thai,” “sweet rice,” and “glutinous rice,” on the packaging.

Once you have purchased the correct rice, grab a pot (with a lid or some foil to cover) and a colander. Any colander will do, just make sure the holes aren’t bigger than the grains, for obvious reasons. Food 52 can walk you through the process in a more detailed manner, but it’s as simple as steaming. Simply fill the pot with water (you want it to be a few inches below the bottom of the colander), set the colander on top of the pot, cover, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and them steam for about fifteen minutes. You now have delicious sticky rice, ready to be dipped in as many delicious sauces as you can make.

The Best Way to Make Thai Sticky Rice (No Fancy Basket Required)|Food 52

Photo by Seba Della y Sole Bossio.


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Make Thai Sticky Rice Using a Colander and a Pot

Scott Rumschlag’s DIY Motor-Free, Height-Adjustable Standing Desk

Though trained as an engineer, Scott Rumschlag quit his engineering office job after less than a year due to his "extreme dislike of sitting all day." Now that he’s switched to building things for a living, it’s unsurprising that he’s built himself an adjustable standing desk.

What is surprising is that Rumschlag’s desk can quickly go from the sitting to standing position without any motor. In place of electricity and gears, he’s incorporated framing nails, sand, and clever design:

Rumschlag has a bunch of videos detailing the desk’s development process here. And at this link he’s selling plans for the design, though at press time he hadn’t yet listed a price.


via Core77
Scott Rumschlag’s DIY Motor-Free, Height-Adjustable Standing Desk

The Best Tooth Brushing Method You Were Never Taught

Scrubbing back-and-forth or in circles probably aren’t the best ways to brush—but those are the most popular methods taught to kids and endorsed by toothpaste companies. Dentists, on the other hand, tend to prefer something called the Modified Bass technique.

To brush your teeth this way, angle your brush at the gumline, move it in a circular motion to loosen plaque at and underneath your gums, then sweep the brush away from the gums to remove debris.

Optimal tooth brushing isn’t totally agreed upon: an analysis published in the British Dental Journal found plenty of disagreement about how long, how often, and what techniques were best. Of ten dental associations that recommended a specific technique, six preferred Modified Bass because there is some evidence that it may be better than other methods. That method was rarely taught to children, though, so consider the Modified Bass tooth brushing technique one of the better kept secrets of adulthood.

Brushing Techniques Modified Bass | Columbia College Calgary (Youtube)


Vitals is a new blog from Lifehacker all about health and fitness. Follow us on Twitter here.


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The Best Tooth Brushing Method You Were Never Taught