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 on Earth, 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 400 kilometres per hour.
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.
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About the Image
NASA caption
| Id: | opo9929b |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 5 August 1999, 18:00 |
| Size: | 718 x 716 px |
About the Object
| Name: | Jupiter |
| Type: | • Solar System : Planet : Type : Gas Giant • Solar System Images/Videos |
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 WFPC2 |
| Optical R |
718 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
| Infrared Siii |
953 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 |
