Galileo, Cassini, and the Great Red Spot
Explanation:
Imagine a hurricane that lasted for 300 years!
Jupiter's Great Red Spot indeed seems to be a
giant hurricane-like storm system rotating with the Jovian clouds.
Observed in 1655 by Italian-French astronomer
Jean-Dominique Cassini it is
seen here over 300 years later - still going strong - in a mosaic of
recent Galileo spacecraft images.
The Great Red Spot is
a cold, high pressure area 2-3 times wider than planet Earth.
Its outer edge
rotates in a counter clockwise direction
about once every six days.
Jupiter's own rapid
rotation period is a brief 10 hours.
The Solar System's largest gas giant planet,
it is presently
well placed for
evening viewing.
(APOD thanks to Alan Radecki for assembling
a preliminary mosaic from
the Galileo imagery!)
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
