Measuring in at 10,159 miles (16,350 kilometers) in width (as of April 3, 2017) Jupiter’s Great Red … This suggests Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) has been raging for centuries. Space Chat with Space.com: Tune in Fridays for science, space and more! [Jupiter's Great Red Spot in Photos]. It is not known what causes the Great Red Spot's reddish color. Image credit: Anthony Wesley. The iconic Great Red Spot of Jupiter may disappear in the next 20 years, according to a researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. The beautiful structure of this extraordinary atmospheric intrigued me since my career was evolving from astrophysics to fluid dynamics – the study of how liquids and gases move. I have been intrigued by the Great Red Spot since 1979, when I viewed the Voyager images only days after NASA processed them. When the nuclear-powered spacecraft Voyager 2 flew by Jupiter in 1979, however, the storm had shrunk to a bit more twice the width of our own planet. Anticyclones merge with each other. Persisted for centuries, the spot could disappear forever in as little as 20 years, predicted scientists. February … NY 10036. When a large anticyclone and smaller cyclone approach each other before repelling, they create a “stagnation” point near the boundary of the anticyclone where the local winds abruptly change direction, going off approximately perpendicular to their original directions. Jupiter's Great Red Spot is dying. Concerns for the Great Red Spot’s “health” arose when astronomers realized that the cloud’s area in 1979 was only half of its size in the 1800s, as determined from old photographic plates. A known white nationalist recorded the clip that went viral amid the chaos of the... Did Trump Tell Supporters to Storm US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021? However, some astronomers believe, to paraphrase Mark Twain, that the reports of its death are greatly exaggerated, or at least premature. In the earliest image, the flaking is predominant on the east side of the giant red vortex. In spring 2019, when the “flaking” was observed, the Great Red Spot was also observed to merge with a series of small clouds (likely small anticyclones) on its northwest side. Read the original article. Pictures from space! The Great Red Spot could disappear in the next 2 decades Jupiter's Great Red Spot is an anticyclone that swirls around a center of high atmospheric pressure. July 26, 2019 By Joe Bergeron Filed Under: Solar System. By Mike Wehner @MikeWehner. The flake then breaks off from the GRS, but a new flake starts to detach in the fifth image. The iconic Great Red Spot of Jupiter may disappear in the next 20 years, according to a researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. The Great Red Spot is a huge storm in Jupiter's atmosphere and was first spotted 300 years ago.. The Disappearing Great Red Spot. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Over the past week, amateur astronomers around the world have seen some unusual activity around the solar system's largest and longest-lasting storm. Scientists predict Jupiter's Great Red Spot (sometimes called the 'Red Eye') is unraveling and could disappear forever in as little as 20 years. In the last 10 years, but in the last five months in particular, the press has reported dire warnings that the Great Red Spot of Jupiter is dying. How do we know that Jovian cyclones exist when clouds are not visible? "Maybe sometime after that the GRM," by which he means the "Great Red Memory.". Was a Noose Hung Across from the US Capitol? Robert Hooke, an early British physicist who discovered cells, first described the Great Red Spot in 1665. Jupiter's Great Red Spot Could Disappear Soon 00:37. NASA revealed today that the iconic Great Red Spot on Jupiter has shrunk to its smallest size ever – and astronomers have no idea why. It is difficult to determine the relationship between the cloud’s size and the vortex’s size or even how Jovian clouds form and dissipate. Jupiter’s great red spot, an immense storm on the fifth planet, more significant than the dimension of the Earth, has been raging since approximately 1830. "In truth, the GRS has been shrinking for a long time," Orton told Business Insider. Neither the mergers that created the lumps nor the close encounters with cyclones are unusual by themselves, but it is not that common for them to occur at the same time. Pieces of the red cloud scatter outward from the stagnation point, appearing as flakes and blades. In the last 10 years, but in the last five months in particular, the press has reported dire warnings that the Great Red Spot of Jupiter is dying. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. Based on the spot’s interactions with other vortices my Berkeley group found there is no evidence that that vortex itself has changed its size or intensity. In the last 10 years, but in the last five months in particular, the press has reported dire warnings that the Great Red Spot of Jupiter is dying. What better way to begin exploring the fundamental physics and math of fluid dynamics than to study the Great Red Spot? Jupiter’s Great Red Spot: A Swirling Mystery In 1979, when two Voyager spacecraft flew close by Jupiter, images showed that the spot was a red cloud that rotated as part of a huge vortex several times larger than the Earth. The question then becomes: Does a decrease in the area of the cloud mean that the vortex itself is shrinking? Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. Jupiter's emblematic feature might disappear in a decade or two. Recent images showed more cloud shrinkage, leading to headlines that the spot could die within 20 years. According to observations taken in the 1800s, the Great Red Spot was once about four times the diameter of Earth. Were Pro-Trump Mobs Storming the Capitol on Jan. 6 Actually Antifa? Jupiter’s atmosphere contains vortices besides the Great Red Spot, some of which are useful for monitoring its health. Did Olive Garden Revoke Hannity’s Pasta Pass After Capitol Riot? Thank you for signing up to Space. Did the Moon Briefly ‘Disappear’ 1,000 Years Ago? The Red Spot is one of the most iconic images in astronomy. Does Video Show Capitol Police Opening Gates for Rioters? Here's what the president said hours before right-wing extremists breached the Capitol. Coloring of the Spot that encounters a stagnation point, appearing as flakes and blades a., first described the Earth ’ s lunar companion as “ wholly gone. ” he the. By the Great Red Spot is in no danger of Disappearing on rocket,! 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