Jupiter's Great Red Spot is Shrinking

Most, if not all of you reading ATS, are familiar with Jupiter's massive cyclonic storm, the Great Red Spot. The tumultuous storm isn't as massive as it once was, and is known to be shrinking at an ever increasing rate.


We know the storm is at least 300 to 400 years old, evidenced by documentation from Cassini in the 17th century, clearly depicting the red spot (upside down due to the way it appeared in the telescope).







In fact, there are drawings of the great red spot from the 19th century that indicate it was once close to 23,000 miles wide, and elongated.


In the late 1970's the Voyager space craft passed by Jupiter and transmitted this image of the storm:







At the time the GRS was still somewhat elongated and many of you may remember how the storm was touted as being so big that three Earths could fit inside. That was the case at the time.

Today?

Thanks to the Juno space craft and hubble, the following image was recently uploaded by NASA, and the great red spot is very obviously smaller than the images from Voyager:






Comparisons from 1995, 2009, and 2014:






In fact, the spot is now only1.3 times the diameter of Earth. What's more, the storm is visibly much more circular and has changed color to a deep orange-red.

This image was taken by Juno just 5,400 miles above the great red spot, showing it in unparalleled detail:







According to data retrieved from Juno and other sources, the storm has increased its average rotational speed as well. Not only has it sped up like an ice skater pulling her arms inward to spin faster, the top clouds have also become higher in altitude, almost like a tornado.

The following beautiful, near infrared image from the Gemini North Earth-based telescope and data relating to images like this are helping researchers understand the mechanics of the baffling, centuries old super storm, along with the stratified layers of Jupiter's poles, bands, cyclones, and more:







Whatever the case may be with the storm, scientists say that the Great Red Spot may completely disappear as soon as 2030, should it continue its accelerated downsizing.

One day, we may get to peer deeper into the mysterious depths of this marvelous behemoth and learn about the true secrets of this legend. Until then, we watch.






www.inverse.com...

www.popularmechanics.com...

www.nasa.gov...

www.astronomy.com...

Very fascinating, the storm that looks like a single cyclone is composed of several layers of rotating cyclones.

Inside, the most inner three cyclones that are visible are rowed up in a line. Intuition would tell me they would also be aligned in a circle.

Maybe we are looking at some rare event where those three cyclones swap positions?

Can anyone makes sense of what I just wrote?

Edit: Not so sure anymore if it´s two or three, if you look at it from more far away. It looks like there are just two cyclones and the blobb on the right is just an artifact or deceiving the eye.

Living proof that ProActiv really does work...along with a healthy diet and exercise.
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(and NO, this is not a product endorsement, but rather just a joke).

a reply to: verschickter

I understand what you are saying yea. Almost makes me think of a double or triple set of rotating storms that move closer and further as they spin about a common point and coalesce, come closer, and move further.

Pethaps the various components got too close and like a sound wave interference pattern, cancelled out some mechanism and now its just narrowing more and more until it becomes a giant column and goes pop.

That, or the totally wild theory that the storm is actually a planet forming and Jupiter is about to burp out Nibiru

As long as it’s not Uranus!

« Tiptoes out of thread »

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Dude...do you remember that stuff acutane?

It was lightweight creepy as Hell seeing my friends go from acne laden grease machines, to pink faced freaks with skin drier than death valley.

originally posted by: CreationBro
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Dude...do you remember that stuff acutane?

It was lightweight creepy as Hell seeing my friends go from acne laden grease machines, to pink faced freaks with skin drier than death valley.

Ewwweee I was prescribed that from 14 to 16 years old... stank of sulfur!?

Godammit am I handsome now with half a face...

Kindest respects

Lags

a reply to: CreationBro

I took actutane....
The back of the blister packs had a pregnant woman with a red circle and line thru each of the pills...
My high school friends had a lot of fun with that joke...
Still makes me laugh all these years later...

Personally I found it to be a magic cure...despite the side effects and all my friends asking why a guy would be on birth control haha

-Chria

originally posted by: Christosterone
a reply to: CreationBro

I took actutane....
The back of the blister packs had a pregnant woman with a red circle and line thru each of the pills...
My high school friends had a lot of fun with that joke...
Still makes me laugh all these years later...

Personally I found it to be a magic cure...despite the side effects and all my friends asking why a guy would be on birth control haha

-Chria

How is the third nipple doing and do you laugh with a high pitched voice!?

Kindest respects

Lags

Jupiter must be getting ready for Uranus's farts.

a reply to: CreationBro

Wow, nothing to add, but great post.

The big zit is finally going away, Jupiter will feel a lot better now with a clear face.

originally posted by: Lagomorphe

originally posted by: CreationBro
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Dude...do you remember that stuff acutane?

It was lightweight creepy as Hell seeing my friends go from acne laden grease machines, to pink faced freaks with skin drier than death valley.

Bro that was hilarious. You must look Zeus-like now eh?

Ewwweee I was prescribed that from 14 to 16 years old... stank of sulfur!?

Godammit am I handsome now with half a face...

Kindest respects

Lags

Bro, hilarious.

You must look rather Zeus-like now eh?

Unbeknownst to NASA a Nerd dropped his Clear eyes when building the Galileo space craft which when it finly crashed into Jupiter relised the eyes drops soothing the giant red eye .

The Juptairens have begone sending thanks yous to NASA .

Ps wonder if ill live long enough to see its end ? kind of sad really