Jupiter's Great Dark Spot
Explanation:
Seventeenth century astronomer
Giovanni Domenico Cassini was
an astute observer of Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
So it seems only fitting that his namesake, the Cassini spacecraft,
has enabled detailed observations of another planet-sized
blemish -- Jupiter's
Great Dark Spot.
Unlike the
Red Spot, the Great Dark Spot lies near
Jupiter's north pole
and seems to appear and disappear over periods
of months rather than persisting for hundreds of years.
Seen at ultraviolet wavelengths, the dark feature
resides in the Jovian
stratosphere
confined by pole-encircling winds, analogous to planet Earth's
antarctic
ozone hole.
This image of the Dark Spot is a single frame from a
movie
created with
data
recorded during the spacecraft's year 2000 flyby of Jupiter.
Projected to show Jupiter's north polar region, no data is available
for the blank central area, while the Great Dark Spot lies
above and just left of center.
The white circle marks 60 degrees latitude and
the blue contour outlines a persistent
Jovian auroral zone
which may be related to the formation of the Great Dark Spot.
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.
