2012 — 26 March: Monday
By Jupiter!1 Relatively tame conditions, heh?
Scientists have to rely on calculations of Jupiter's core environment because the conditions there are far too extreme to recreate on Earth. Wilson and his UC-Berkeley colleague Burkhard
Militzer used a computer program to simulate temperatures exceeding 7,000 degrees Celsius and pressures reaching 40 million times the air pressure found on Earth at sea level.
Those conditions are thought to be underestimates of the actual conditions inside Jupiter's core. Nonetheless, the authors found that magnesium oxide — an important compound likely found
in Jupiter's core — would liquefy and begin drifting into Jupiter's fluid upper envelope under these relatively tame conditions.
Well, if the computer said so, it must be right. But why pick on magnesium oxide? And who, or what, wouldn't liquefy under those conditions? Meanwhile, down here on Earth there's supplies shopping to be done... [Pause] Not to mention, an early "lemonses". It's 11:05 and a lovely fresh day out there.
Too lovely...
... to stay indoors, in fact.
After adventures...
... too numerous etc etc I've just finished my evening meal and am now (19:32) contemplating a short dalliance with "Bones" while the dishes soak by themselves. After lunch I decided to nip out to grab another delicious vanilla icecream cone from Carlo's and then just pootle around a bit with all the windows open. Magic.
It's nice being able to drive and, as a bonus, I even got to wave at my driving instructor Dennis as he happened to be turning out of my little estate just as I got back. I hope he was pleased that I waved him courteously through ahead of me. I wonder how many people he's taught from here over the years. I've clocked up 30,000 miles since passing the driving test, and had accumulated 2,500 before I took it. Seems quite a while ago, now.