Jupiter’s Red Spot Is Shrinking

Written by James Dixon, SciJourner Reporter |

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot has lost 15% of its diameter, says Xylar Asay-Davis, a postdoctoral researcher at University of California, Berkeley. Astronomers think that the Red Spot is shrinking because of climate changes on Jupiter.

Jupiter’s Red Spot is formed by stormy weather with swirling clouds and high-speed winds. You can fit three earths inside the great red spot, writes A. Pawlowski, CNN Science and Technology Correspondent.

According to NASA, about 400 years ago astronomers discovered that Jupiter had a Red Spot. “Since astronomers began to use telescopes to observe these features in the late 1600's, the features have changed size and brightness but have kept the same patterns,” says NASA.

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Comments (4)

	DavidH says: 2010-Aug-04 12:40
	How fast do the winds move in the Great Red Spot? Is it anything like a hurricane here on earth? Great picture caption! Reply 0 0 Report