Astronomy Picture of the Day |
APOD: 1999 August 6 - Hubble Tracks Jupiter's Great Red Spot
Explanation:
It is a hurricane twice the size of the
Earth.
It has been raging at least as long as
telescopes could see it,
and shows no signs of slowing. It is Jupiter's Great Red Spot,
the largest swirling storm system in the
Solar System.
Like most astronomical phenomena, the
Great Red Spot
was neither predicted nor immediately
understood after its discovery.
Still today, details of how and why the
Great Red Spot changes its shape, size, and color
remain mysterious.
A better understanding of the
weather on Jupiter may help contribute to the better understanding of weather here on Earth.
In the pictures on the left, the Hubble Space Telescope has captured
Jupiter's Great Red Spot in various states over the past several years.
APOD: 2006 May 5 - Jupiter and the Red Spots
Explanation:
Jupiter's Great Red Spot
is a swirling storm seen for over 300 years, since the beginning of
telescopic
observations.
But in February 2006, planetary imager
Christopher Go noticed it
had been joined by Red Spot Jr - formed
as smaller whitish oval-shaped storms
merged and then developed the remarkable reddish hue.
This sharp Hubble Space Telescope
image showing the two salmon-colored Jovian storms
was recorded in April.
About half the size of the original Red Spot,
Red Spot Jr.
is similar in diameter to planet Earth.
Seen here below and left of the ancient storm system,
it trails the Great Red Spot by about an hour as
the planet rotates from left to right.
While astronomers still don't exactly understand why
Jupiter's red spots are red,
they do think the appearance of Red Spot Jr. provides
evidence for climate change on the
Solar System's ruling gas giant.
APOD: 2004 May 2 - Io in True Color
Explanation:
The strangest moon in the
Solar System is bright yellow.
This
picture, showing Io's true colors, was taken in 1999 July by the
Galileo spacecraft that orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003.
Io's colors derive from
sulfur
and molten silicate rock.
The unusual
surface of Io
is kept very young by its system of
active volcanoes.
The intense
tidal gravity of
Jupiter stretches
Io and
damps wobbles caused by Jupiter's other
Galilean moons.
The resulting
friction greatly heats
Io's interior, causing
molten rock to explode through the surface.
Io's volcanoes
are so active that they are effectively turning the
whole moon inside out.
Some of
Io's volcanic lava is so hot it
glows in the dark.
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:
EUD at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.