Jupiter's Great Red Spot
When 17th-century astronomers first turned their telescopes to Jupiter, they noted a conspicuous reddish spot on the giant planet. This Great Red Spot is still present in Jupiter's atmosphere, more than 300 years later. It is now known that it is a vast storm, spinning like a cyclone. Unlike a low-pressure hurricane in the Caribbean Sea, however, the Red Spot rotates in a counterclockwise direction in the southern hemisphere, showing that it is a high-pressure system. Winds inside this Jovian storm reach speeds of about 270 mph.
Credit:About the Image
About the Object
Name: | Jupiter |
---|---|
Type: | Solar System : Planet : Type : Gas Giant Solar System : Planet : Feature : Atmosphere : Storm |
Category: | Solar System |
Colours & filters
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
---|---|---|
Optical B | 410 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
Optical B | 439 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
Optical V | 555 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
Optical Sii | 673 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC1 |
Optical R | 718 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
Optical Siii | 953 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |