Subject: Re: The symbols on the black box
From: rdonahue@spdcc.COM (Bob Donahue)
Date: 1991-04-22, 11:02
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks

jms@vanth.UUCP (Jim Shaffer) writes:
> >astronut@athena.mit.edu (Robert M Sanner) writes:

>> >>I'm a bit behind in the postings, so forgive me if this has already
>> >>been pointed out, but why couldn't this "paw print" be (yet another) symbol
>> >>for Jupiter?  The planet itself, with its four Galilean satellites (Io,
>> >>Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) would be all ancient star gazers would be
>> >>able to discern...

> >It would only be Jupiter if seen from over one of its own poles.  Jupiter,
> >like everything else except Uranus, has its axis more-or-less perpendicular
> >to the ecliptic plane, so from Earth or anywhere else in the plane, it
> >looks like this:

> >. . *  .   .
> >Where the "."s are the Galilean satellites and "*" is Jupiter.

Yes, but only if they had a telescope at their disposal.  
While the Galilean satellites are bright enough to be seen with the naked eye,
they are too close to Jupiter to be discerned (there are historical accounts
of people having been able to see CAllisto however).  

Actually I should say optical aid instead of telescope to cover
any sort of things that would work.

Additionally, Pluto is also tilted to 118 degrees and Venus to 178.
(i.e. Venus is nearly perpendicular but North is "down").  Jupiter is
by far the most perpendicular (with North "up").  [North is defined as
the pole showing counter clockwise rotation]

BBC