MadSci Network: Astronomy
Query:

Subject: Would Jupiter's red spot appear northerly from our southern hemisphere?

Date: Wed May 31 19:20:15 2000
Posted by Marino Hernandez
Grade level: undergrad School: Northampton Community College
City: Bethlehem State/Province: PA Country: USA
Area of science: Astronomy
ID: 959815215.As
Message:

     It seems that people in the southern hemisphere, in relation to 

people in the southern hemisphere, would be standing "upside down", and 

vice versa.  However, everyone's perception is that of standing upwards. 

Logic says that for each person, their perception of UP begins with what's

above. For our southern hemisphere, wouldn't Jupiter's south pole be 

perceived as UP from people's heads, thus making Jupiter upside down 

relatively, and wouldn't that show the red spot at Jupiter's northern 

hemisphere?


      For comparison, say two people's shoes are stuck sole-to-sole, 

facing the same direction, with one person standing upwards and the other 

upside down. A giant book with writing on it is positioned away from them 

at a distance. The person with head towards the "north" of the book would 

read the book normally, while the person with head towards the "south" of 

book would see the words upside down. Anything at the top fo the page for 

the upward person would appear at he bottom for the upside down person, 

because the top of the book is in the same direction as the upside down 

person's feet.






Re: Would Jupiter's red spot appear northerly from our southern hemisphere?

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