jupiter's missing belt

Lost: A giant belt of brown clouds big enough to swallow Earth twenty times over. If found, please return to Jupiter.
May 20, 2010: In a development that has transformed the appearance of the solar system's largest planet, one of Jupiter's two main cloud belts has completely disappeared.
"This is a big event," says planetary scientist Glenn Orton of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. "We're monitoring the situation closely and do not yet fully understand what's going on."
Known as the South Equatorial Belt (SEB), the brown cloudy band is twice as wide as Earth and more than twenty times as long. The loss of such an enormous "stripe" can be seen with ease halfway across the solar system.
"In any size telescope, or even in large binoculars, Jupiter's signature appearance has always included two broad equatorial belts," says amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley of Australia. "I remember as a child seeing them through my small backyard refractor and it was unmistakable. Anyone who turns their telescope on Jupiter at the moment, however, will see a planet with only one belt--a very strange sight."
Wesley is a veteran observer of Jupiter, famous for his discovery of a comet hitting the planet in 2009. Like many other astronomers, he noticed the belt fading late last year, "but I certainly didn't expect to see it completely disappear," he says. "Jupiter continues to surprise." --- peace!

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[guitarplayer123]

does this mean his pants will fall down?

[kiuhy8]

@guitarplayer123 ha ha :)

[mattimattiusa]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!­!!

[kiuhy8]

@mattimattiusa the horror!! :)

[Yobidefy]

pluto is getting its revenge! hes small but terrible he wants all the planet to die ahhah

[kiuhy8]

@Yobidefy ha ha the little guy strikes back! thanks :)

[september251996]

lol i think its dying

[FallasDeOrigen1]

So... What?

[FTSkthxdie]

@CesarGuerrero lol I recognize that song from church...

[LandOfTheLivingSkiez]

@LatRz0.... I don't know if you know this but the giant red spot on Jupiter started spinning in the other direction not too long ago. It makes me wonder what is really going on in our solar system... as well all the planets and the sun have been warming up. I think its because we soon will be entering the middle of the galactic equator which is spewing out intense energy.

[MellowCruisin]

Maybe orion wore his belt out and needed a new one?

[fatmochi101]

D: maybe it was from the asteroids that hit jupiter's belt :(

[LatRz0]

OK, im not 100% sure of what im about to state, but if you compare the image taken in 1973 and the very last picture + focus on the 'Great Red Spot'

you can clearly see a difference in the size of the Great Red Spot (=smaller!)

again, im definatly not sure about this, but if this is the case, then i believe almoust immediatly that this has something to do with the dissappereance of 1 of the main clouds Jupiter once had..or visa versa.

[mane1138]

sorry,  month of JUNE!! ↓