Jupiter's Great Dark Spot

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."

Comments

Now thats what I'm talkin about!

[index72]

All that money we spend on space exploration and we finally get something worth the expense. Boiling planets being ripped apart by out of control stars. Hiraldo Rivera reporting from outerspace. Wiz bang. Ratt a tat tat. The taliban is sooting at me. Wiz bang.

Re:Looks suspicious

[delstar dotstar]

OK I'll bite. The dark spot in question's not at the center of the animation. Look north(?) of it, at the top of the blue loop.

Re:...and it's radioactive!

[Evil Adrian]

Not as strong as "AXIS OF EVIL".

I am disgusted that I even typed those stupid words.