Jupiter's Great Dark Spot

Posted by chrisd on Wednesday March 12, 2003 @07:08PM from the places-to-visit-on-vacation dept.

Edball writes "For more than a century astronomers thought that the Great Red Spot was the biggest thing on Jupiter. Not anymore. Images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have revealed something at least as large, The Great Dark Spot." In related solar system news, pajamacore writes "Space.com reports that the first extrasolar planet to have its atmosphere detected is having its gas envelope boiled off by heat and blown away by tidal forces. At present, the planet is 70% the size of Jupiter but its orbit is closer to its parent star than Mercury's is to our own Sun. It should be a treat to eventually see the planet's core and maybe it'll clue us in a bit to gas giant formation."

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Re:Earth by B3ryllium · 2003-03-12 19:20 · Score: 1, Offtopic

That isn't a dark spot - that's just a collection of the densest matter on Earth.
Re:Now thats what I'm talkin about! by Anonymous Coward · 2003-03-12 19:37 · Score: 0, Offtopic

Actually it's Geraldo Rivera. But outer space seems like a good place to put him..
I know what that thing is! by EEgopher · 2003-03-13 05:48 · Score: 0, Offtopic

It's Zorro, chasing bank-robbing aliens on horseback. Anyone else old enough to remember the black-and-white episodes?

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