Whatzit?

Non-fashion, non-skirt, non-gender discussions. If your post is related to fashion, skirts or gender, please choose one of the forums above for it.
User avatar
crfriend
Master Barista
Posts: 14431
Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2004 9:52 pm
Location: New England (U.S.)
Contact:

Whatzit?

Post by crfriend »

Indeed, what is it? (Other than a brain-teaser.)
vis-l-20170921-1.jpg
This is something that I posted on a PIT (Point In Time) snapshot of SkirtCafe that's running in my kitchen as a high-fidelity simulacrum of the operational site in preparation for a fairly massive software upgrade that's coming soon. I've been fiddling with the thing a bit, and just a few days ago granted access to the other moderators in an attempt to verify the fidelity of the thing.

And, wouldn't you know it, one of 'em got part of the puzzle correct and spotted something I hadn't seen. So I open it up here to see if anybody else can figure it out.

What's visible in the image, and what does it mean? What was I after (and why)? What did I miss? (I know why I captured it, so I'm going to stay out of the fray. Uncle Al and Milfmog should stay out of it as well initially as they've been part of the skunk-works action.) Does it even have a meaning?
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
pleated
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 308
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2011 2:08 pm
Location: Ireland

Re: Whatzit?

Post by pleated »

The main point of interest seems to be the recent mega-hurricane, but I don't know what the black semicircle in the lower right corner is.
User avatar
oldsalt1
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 2470
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2016 8:25 pm
Location: Long Island, New York

Re: Whatzit?

Post by oldsalt1 »

you see a hurricane thats obvious what is there is a few things is it the devil the world is going to end is it a portrait of our lord or is it an animal
User avatar
Fred in Skirts
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 3988
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2016 6:48 pm
Location: Southeast Corner of Aiken County, SC USA

Re: Whatzit?

Post by Fred in Skirts »

There is a FACE in the middle right part of the picture. :lol:
"It is better to be hated for what you are than be loved for what you are not" Andre Gide: 1869 - 1951
Always be yourself because the people that matter don’t mind and the ones that mind don’t matter.
User avatar
Sinned
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 5804
Joined: Sun Aug 19, 2012 5:28 pm
Location: York, England

Re: Whatzit?

Post by Sinned »

There's a scorpion bottom right and what looks like a pound sign bottom left. The face and other images are the result of our brains trying to make sense of the images and match pre-stored patterns. I think that Carl is after something more than that but I can't see it just now.
I believe in offering every assistance short of actual help but then mainly just want to be left to be myself in all my difference and uniqueness.
User avatar
crfriend
Master Barista
Posts: 14431
Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2004 9:52 pm
Location: New England (U.S.)
Contact:

Re: Whatzit?

Post by crfriend »

It is kind of like seeing things in cloud-formations, isn't it?

Al pointed up the face; he termed it "Neptune. It took me a while to see it (it shows up better in the thumbnail to my eyes) -- and to me it looks like Johnny Depp and "Captain Jack Sparrow". Isn't the human mind -- and imagination -- a wonderful thing? I missed the scorpion, and also the pounds-sterling sign.

Catching Hurricane Maria was entirely accidental. I knew it was there, of course, but wasn't my focus at the time.

I was looking for something non-atmospheric, and much more mundane, however -- something that happens every day.

Background on the image: This is a hybrid visible-light/infra-red image where what can be seen in the visible (to humans) is portrayed so, and where not is portrayed using the infra-red imagery (which allows the satellites to "see in the dark").
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
User avatar
oldsalt1
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 2470
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2016 8:25 pm
Location: Long Island, New York

Re: Whatzit?

Post by oldsalt1 »

I agree with Neptune but further examination the mass on the bottom looks a little like a paw which if you start from there could be traced back to an animal
User avatar
melsav
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 431
Joined: Sat Feb 15, 2014 11:39 am
Location: Johannesburg South Africa

Re: Whatzit?

Post by melsav »

The right hand side of the picture looks like a male lions head to me on its way to America.
User avatar
crfriend
Master Barista
Posts: 14431
Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2004 9:52 pm
Location: New England (U.S.)
Contact:

Re: Whatzit?

Post by crfriend »

What a difference a day makes.
vis-l-20170922-1.jpg
This was shot from the same point in space as the previous one -- but precisely 24 hours later. Neptune/Jack Sparrow/the lion's head which was at about 23N 48W is gone, replaced by somebody else at about 30N 37W. Maria has weakened and moved from 19.5N 68.2W to 22.5N 70.2W. The scorpion and pounds-sterling sign are both gone (with the wind), ex at 12N 37.5W and 11.5N 93W, respectively.

The feature I was primarily looking at is in the same place, albeit altered very, very subtly.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
User avatar
oldsalt1
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 2470
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2016 8:25 pm
Location: Long Island, New York

Re: Whatzit?

Post by oldsalt1 »

definitely a lion
User avatar
Fred in Skirts
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 3988
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2016 6:48 pm
Location: Southeast Corner of Aiken County, SC USA

Re: Whatzit?

Post by Fred in Skirts »

The feature you allude to still defies me to see it. So Whatzit?
"It is better to be hated for what you are than be loved for what you are not" Andre Gide: 1869 - 1951
Always be yourself because the people that matter don’t mind and the ones that mind don’t matter.
User avatar
crfriend
Master Barista
Posts: 14431
Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2004 9:52 pm
Location: New England (U.S.)
Contact:

Re: Whatzit?

Post by crfriend »

Fred in Skirts wrote:The feature you allude to still defies me to see it. So Whatzit?
It's almost vertical and spans the entire image.

I'll pop the bubble tomorrow if nobody gets it, but seriously it's something that happens every single day.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
User avatar
Uncle Al
Moderator
Posts: 3861
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2003 10:07 pm
Location: Duncanville, TX USA

Re: Whatzit?

Post by Uncle Al »

OK, i'll take this guess ;)
(It's also the name of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie :!: )

THE TERMINATOR

:hide:

Uncle Al
:mrgreen: :ugeek: :mrgreen:
Kilted Organist/Musician
Grand Musician of the Grand Lodge, I.O.O.F. of Texas 2008-2009, 2015-2016,
2018-202 ? (and the beat goes on ;) )
When asked 'Why the Kilt?'
I respond-The why is F.T.H.O.I. (For The H--- Of It)
User avatar
crfriend
Master Barista
Posts: 14431
Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2004 9:52 pm
Location: New England (U.S.)
Contact:

Re: Whatzit?

Post by crfriend »

I mentioned that I'd be back.
Uncle Al wrote:THE TERMINATOR
Al got it. The discontinuity in the visible/IR hybrid image near the 80th meridian was what I was looking for -- more specifically I was looking for how it changes over time since we were very close to the Autumnal Equinox at the time. Note how closely the terminator aligns with the meridian in the first two images, and how subtle the change in the terminator's inclination is in the course of one day.

Here's how it looked on the 23rd, which is the closest I could get a decent image of it:
vis-l-201709230835.jpg
This one was grabbed a bit later (a day and half hour later to be exact) as I slept in. It's also a different projection as I wanted more latitude. Note also the difference that a half-hour makes in where the terminator is -- precisely 7 1/2 degrees of longitude (the sun moves at 15 degrees per hour or 900 nautical miles per hour at the equator with speed-over ground decreasing as latitude increases). Note that it's almost perfectly aligned with the meridian at 87.5 degrees. Also visible is Maria at 25N 72W and the remnants of Jose (which were still making the water bumpy in New England) at about 39N 69W (The Boston Customs House is at 42:20N 71:03W (degrees:minutes there)).

Now, here we have it today, just before the sun rose where I live:
ECIR-2017274_1015vis-l.jpg
Note the date-stamp on the image and where the terminator is today. Note also its inclination to the meridians -- it's very clearly "cocked off" a bit now as the days where I live are getting shorter (and getting longer "down under"). This will continue until the Winter Solstice, whereupon it'll all go the other direction, reverse again at the Summer Solstice, and will pass next year's Autumnal Equinox about in late September of 2018. A year in the life.

For context, here's the "full disk" imaged from space at 11:45 UTC this morning without the IR "underlay":
FullDisk-20171001-0902.jpg
and its corresponding view with the IR layer:
vis-l-2017274_1145.jpg
It's a magic day when super-science mingles with the bright stuff of dreams. -- Rush, Countdown
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
User avatar
Sinned
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 5804
Joined: Sun Aug 19, 2012 5:28 pm
Location: York, England

Re: Whatzit?

Post by Sinned »

Sorry, still none the wiser. Not really in the frame of mind for puzzles as packing and cleaning/tidying/last minute jobs for holiday tomorrow. I'll study it when I get back as things may click then. Not your fault Carl, it's just me.
I believe in offering every assistance short of actual help but then mainly just want to be left to be myself in all my difference and uniqueness.
Post Reply