Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → Astronomy

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot might disappear within 20 years

Jupiter's emblematic feature might disappear in a decade or two.

Mihai Andrei by Mihai Andrei
February 20, 2018
in Astronomy, News

Jupiter’s emblematic Great Red Spot has been significantly shrinking, and might soon fade away, NASA scientists say.

Images of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot taken by the Hubble Space Telescope over a span of 20 years show that the Great Red Spot is shrinking. Image credits: NASA.

As I child, I remember being baffled to learn that Jupiter‘s Red Spot is two times larger than the Earth. Then, I remember seeing this comparison again as I grew up, with the mention that the Red Spot was “slightly larger” than Earth. I didn’t give it much thought at the time — after all, comparing the two is not an exact science — but perhaps I should have. Jupiter’s trademark feature is getting smaller and smaller, and it might soon be gone.

The Great Red Spot may have existed since before 1665, but it was first reported only after 1830. The Red Spot is a giant storm — a persistent high-pressure region in the atmosphere which causes an anticyclonic storm. Astronomers estimate that it was once four times bigger than the Earth, before starting to quiet down.

Jupiter’s Red Spot and the Earth to scale. Image credits: NASA.

Truth be told, this shrinking is not exactly news. NASA has been signaling it for quite a while. NASA Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 flybys of Jupiter in 1979 measured it to be 14,500 miles across, while a 1995 Hubble photo showed the long axis of the spot at an estimated 13,020 miles across. However, in recent years, the rate at which it’s shrinking has accelerated. In 2012, amateur astronomers reported a shrinking rate of 580 miles per year, and the famously oval Red Spot was already becoming a circle.

NASA’s Juno mission, which entered a polar orbit of Jupiter on July 5, 2016, showed the Jovian system and the Red Spot in unprecedented detail. It also confirmed that the storm is indeed decreasing in size. At the current rate, it might be gone in 10 to 20 years.

Unlike Jupiter, Earth doesn’t permit storms to exist for centuries, because our planet doesn’t have an atmosphere as big and thick as Jupiter’s. But even in these extreme conditions, storms still need to eventually end. Even so, most storms don’t last this long. The Red Spot keeps on spinning because it’s caught between two conveyor belts (see above) moving in opposite directions.

Juno will have its next peek at the Great Red Spot in April 2018, then again in July and September of 2019, before going over it one more time in December 2020. These flybys won’t offer details as clear and detailed as the 2017 flyby, but they will get good enough to assess the state of the giant storm. Then, we’ll have a clearer idea of how long the storm can last.

 

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is heating its upper atmosphere
  2. Half of world’s killer whales could disappear in next 30 years due to toxic pollutant
  3. NASA releases dazzling images of Jupiter’s Red Spot, makes them open for citizen scientists
  4. Morally outraged tweets spread better, but largely stay within ‘red’ and ‘blue’ bubbles
  5. Neptune’s Great Dark Spot is also shrinking
Tags: jupiterRed Spot

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW