PASADENA, Calif., Oct. 14 (UPI) — New 4k Ultra HD videos of Jupiter reveal the planet’s dynamic atmosphere in remarkable detail. As the new recordings confirm, Jupiter’s Great Red Spot continues to shrink in size.
The Great Red Spot is a cyclone of sorts, a sizable atmospheric storm that’s been spinning its way along the gas giant’s equator for last 400-plus years. But recent observations suggest the storm may be running out of steam.
The storm is 150 miles shorter than it was in 2014, which sounds like a big change — only, the storm is the size of three Earths. The Great Red Spot’s shrinkage isn’t new, however, and the latest observations suggest its rate of shrinkage is actually slowing.
Video of Jupiter’s swirling atmosphere allows scientists to better study wind systems and speeds. Winds on the outer edge of the Great Red Spot top 330 miles per hour — that’s a Category 5 hurricane times two.
The new imagery also reveals a never-before-seen phenomenon, a unique filament structure swirling about the eye of the storm. Scientists don’t yet know what it is or what its appearance means, but it may have something to do with the storm’s continued slowdown.
“Every time we look at Jupiter, we get tantalizing hints that something really exciting is going on,” Amy Simon, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a press release. “This time is no exception.”
The latest observations also show that the Great Red Spot’s color is less intense than it used to be, a paler red.
Researchers also noticed a rare wave feature just north of Jupiter’s equator. The phenomenon has been seen only once before. The wave was spotted by Voyager 2 in 1977, but was only barely and briefly visible. It hasn’t been observed again until now. Researchers liken it to baroclinic waves seen in Earth’s atmosphere prior to cyclone formation.
Like on Earth, researchers believe the wave formation is a disturbance that originates in a clear layer of Jupiter’s atmosphere just beneath the clouds. As it strengthens and spreads into the upper cloud layer, its presence becomes visible.
“Until now, we thought the wave seen by Voyager 2 might have been a fluke,” said Glenn Orton, a researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “As it turns out, it’s just rare!”
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