HUBBLE OBSERVES JUPITER’S // GREAT RED SPOT CHANGING
Jupiter’s most iconic feature is a giant storm known as the Great Red Spot.
The massive storm’s clouds spin at speeds that exceed 400 miles per hour (643 km/h).
In the 1800s, astronomers observed the storm many times. But no one knows when it began.
For more than a century, astronomers noted it shrinking in size and becoming more circular than oval.
Hubble’s deployment in 1990 gave them even clearer annual views of Jupiter.
But they started to notice something strange...
The winds on the outermost edge of the storm have increased by up to 8 percent from 2009 to 2020.
In contrast, the winds near the storm’s innermost region are moving significantly slower.
With Hubble’s precise yearly readings, astronomers monitored the Great Red Spot’s increasing speeds.
While this increase is a mystery…
...this important data helps us understand what powers the Great Red Spot and how it maintains energy.
And as we better learn how Jupiter’s atmosphere works…
...we’ll understand more about the atmospheres of other planets, including our own.
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