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Jupiter's Little White Spot Turns Red

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the time-for-space-prom dept.

Feelyat writes "NASA is reporting that a small storm that formed on Jupiter last year has changed color from white to red. According to an article in Yahoo News, scientist Amy Simon-Miller speculates that the storm might have gained strength as it decreased in size, similar to how 'spinning ice skaters go faster when they move their arms closer.' She says that the storm has probably 'picked up red material from lower in the Jupiter atmosphere, most likely some form of sulfur which turns red as part of a chemical reaction ...' Well, we might be one planet down, but our Solar System can still surprise."

5 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. Yesterday's News, but how about comet SWAN? by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Informative

    Read all about it before the Lidle crash took the top spots on Google News. It's interesting, but really, Jupiter is always up to something with that turbulent atmosphere. Streams of spots have appeared in the past and vanished again. This will probably hang around for a bit and then go the way of other spots.

    Meanwhile, there's Comet C/2006 M4 (SWAN), which is near it's peak magnitude, visible just after sunset which is my primary viewing target this weekend. It's going to be around until early December, but at declining magnitudes.

    Ob ISR Post:

    In Soviet Russia little reds spot YOU!

    you hear the ghost of Bill Goodwin ellaborating on swan, the new white floating comet

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  2. Atmospheric turbulence by BWJones · · Score: 4, Informative

    So, we've known for some time about the potential for atmospheric mixing in the Jovian atmosphere. In a way, I guess this would have been expected. For an animation of the Great Red Spot and its turbulence, click here and scroll down.

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  3. Title??? by Spez · · Score: 5, Informative
    FTA (emphasis mine):

    The Little Red Spot's winds, now raging up to approximately 400 miles per hour, signal that the storm is growing stronger, according to the NASA-led team that made the Hubble observations. The increased intensity of the storm probably caused it to change color from its original white in late 2005, according to the team

    It turned red last year and now its just stronger. Please editors RTFA!!!

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    I wouldn't mind you in my head, if you weren't so clearly mad -Lews Therin Telamon
  4. Re:An insult to Jupitarians! by networkBoy · · Score: 3, Informative

    Not to nitpick as you are the native, but should not that be Jovian, as opposed to Jupitarian?
    -nB

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  5. Not down but up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative


    To the original poster:

      We have ten planets in our solar system. Since you can't count, I'll do it for you.

    1. Mercury
    2. Venus
    3. Earth
    4. Mars
    5. Jupiter with new red spot.
    6. Saturn, where the name Saturday came from.
    7. Uranus
    8. Neptune
    9. Pluto, Dewarf PLANET.
    10. Eris, Largest Dewarf Planet.