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Author
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Topic: Space Cover 643: The Jupiter Effect
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Antoni RIGO
Member Posts: 241
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013
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posted 03-13-2022 05:31 AM
   
Space Cover of the Week, Week 643 (March 13, 2022)  Space Cover 643: The Jupiter Effect The Jupiter Effect: What is, or better, what was? Jupiter Effect was the name for a book published in 1974 in which the authors, John Gribbin and Stephen Plagermann, predicted an alignment of the planets of our Solar System. It would create a number of catastrophes around the world including an earthquake on the San Andreas Fault on March 10, 1982. The book became a best-seller and…fortunately, any of predicted catastrophes did not occur. Beyond the literary history, and the apocalypses that time to time returns to the present day (year 2000 problem or Millennium bug or Y2K glitch; Mayan doomsday prophecy Dec 21, 2012 and many other End of Days predictions) astronomers were aware that our planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are aligned approximately each 175 years. This knowledge was used by NASA to launch in the seventies the space probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. The latter visited our giant planets following the concept of this alignment (1976-1980). A similar planetary alignment will happen in the range of years 2151-2154. |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3419
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 03-18-2022 01:20 PM
I did recall hearing something about a planet alignment book predictions during the 70's, but the planet alignments did happen, correct? It kinda reminds me of the Christmas Bethlehem Star that the Bible reports 2,000 years ago. Many astronomers, I believe, say that it might had been a similar planetary alignment, however, why can't astronomers know that such an alignment did/or did not occur since they can be predicted with calculated mathematical assurance, even if so long ago? I did note, Antoni, that a Houston postmark had been used on the cover. I wonder why Houston and not Pasadena or one of the more-famous observatory locations out West (U.S. such as Mt. Palomar) would be a better cancel site.
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Antoni RIGO
Member Posts: 241
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013
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posted 03-18-2022 02:56 PM
Thanks Ken for your interesting contribution and for your questions. Definitively, I agree with you. Pasadena or Mt. Palomar would be better cancel sites than Houston. I just wondering if such cancels concerning the Jupiter Effects exist. At the moment, I only found this one. |
Pete Sarmiento
Member Posts: 84
From: Fort Washington, MD, USA
Registered: Mar 2006
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posted 03-19-2022 03:18 PM
I remember one time that all the planets were all line up and NASA was going to have a mission called the "The Grand Tour", a spacecraft will fly the side of all the planets!Maybe this collector happen to be living in the Houston area and got the cover canceled at the Houston Post Office! |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3419
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 03-19-2022 03:47 PM
Yes, Pete, that was NASA's Grand Tour of Planets that both Voyager spacecrafts, launched from the Cape in 1977, traveled past the outer planets of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune throughout the decade of the 1980's. You may recall both the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecrafts carried the 12" gold-plated cooper disks, known as the "Golden Records," that were cultural time capsules of recorded messages from Earth.Perhaps we can do a space cover display panel in commemoration of the highly-successful Voyager program, similar to what was done for Pioneer 10 more than two weeks ago here on cS in this forum. As Pete pointed out, perhaps using Houston for the above cover was more appropriate for this cover collector that was residing in that area. After all, Houston is a major spaceflight control center of other NASA and space programs. |
Pete Sarmiento
Member Posts: 84
From: Fort Washington, MD, USA
Registered: Mar 2006
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posted 03-19-2022 03:58 PM
If I am not mistaken, they recorded disco to Bach music and "Greetings from Earth" in 60 different languages! |
Eddie Bizub
Member Posts: 115
From: Kissimmee, FL USA
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 03-25-2022 06:27 PM
Interesting topic Antoni! I remember when this planetary alignment occurred back in 1982. It was thought that with all the planets on one side of the sun that the combined gravitational attraction would cause many problems here on Earth and on the other inner planets. Of course nothing happened. It still made national news.I have the pictured cover commemorating the Jupiter Effect in my collection. The cachet was done by Bob Whitney. Bob was a long-time cover servicer for Eastern Test Range events. Bob covered many unusual space-related events and probably chose to commemorate the Jupiter Effect due to the nationwide interest.  |
Antoni RIGO
Member Posts: 241
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013
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posted 03-26-2022 07:04 AM
Ken, Pete, thanks for the contributions. Really interesting to know your impressions about this issue.Eddie, wow, cool cover. I do not remember seeing it before. As you told, if it was of nationwide interest probably there will be other covers postmarked from other locations with same date. At the moment, we have seen two: Houston and Patrick AFB. I will try to buy this cover as I like very much this Boudwin cachet. |
Antoni RIGO
Member Posts: 241
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013
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posted 04-13-2022 01:15 PM
Thanks to information supplied by Eddie, I found another Jupiter Effect cover.It bears also the same Boudwin Bob Whitney RSC in same color but postmarked Cape Canaveral.  Three different places seen now. Any others? |
Eddie Bizub
Member Posts: 115
From: Kissimmee, FL USA
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 04-13-2022 11:31 PM
Way to go Antoni! But just to clarify... it's a Bob Whitney cachet not Bob Boudwin. Bob Whitney serviced covers mostly at Cape Canaveral, Patrick AFB and Satellite Beach so you might just find other cancels with this particular cachet! |
Antoni RIGO
Member Posts: 241
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013
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posted 04-14-2022 02:36 AM
Oops... Changed now. Thanks again Eddie.I will follow searching other Bob Whitney cachets postmarked in other locations. As suggested, maybe same cover with Satellite Beach postmark also exist. |
flyboycn2007
Member Posts: 11
From: china
Registered: Aug 2016
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posted 04-15-2022 03:05 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Antoni RIGO:
I found another Jupiter Effect cover.
This cover is affixed with a stamp of "Nine Stars Together" issued by China Post, no. T.78. Very interesting cover!The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of the People's Republic of China issued a special stamp with the serial number T.78 on May 16, 1982 to record the occurrence of two once-in-a-lifetime astronomical gatherings of nine stars.
"Gathering of Nine Stars" stamp set 1, depicting the astronomical phenomenon of "gathering of nine stars" in the solar system. |
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