Great Red Spot : New Observation
New observations of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter have revealed that the planet’s atmosphere above and around the infamous storm is surprisingly interesting and active.
- It is an anticyclone, a long-lasting area of high pressure on Jupiter creating a persistent storm.
- Located in Jupiter’s Southern Hemisphere, it appears as a giant red spot on Jupiter’s surface. The source of the red coloration is unknown.
- It extends well above Jupiter’s main cloud layers.
- It is the largest known storm in the Solar System. With a diameter of 15,400 miles, it is almost twice the size of the entire Earth and one-sixth the diameter of Jupiter itself.
- Winds inside this Jovian storm reach speeds of about 270 mph.
- It has existed for the last 150 years, possibly even longer.
- The long lifetime of the Red Spot may be due to the fact that Jupiter is mainly a gaseous planet.
- It possibly has liquid layers but lacks a solid surface, which would dissipate the storm’s energy, much as happens when a hurricane makes landfall on the Earth.
- However, the Red Spot does change its shape, size, and color, sometimes dramatically.
