Red spot Jr. (APOD 5 May 2006)

[Sowndbyte]

I read sometime back that the 2 giant storms on Jupiter would be colliding on or about July4th of this year.
Giant Red spot and red spot Jr.
I am looking for more information and any websites about this Stellar event. I only hope we have Hubbles camera back up and running

[orin stepanek]

Is the Hubble Space Telescope the only one that can record this event??
Orin

[harry]

Hello All

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsde ... 19/image/a


http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961127.html

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970311.html

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960802.html

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960827.html


I have two questions.

Does the big red spot stay in the same position on the surface of Jupiter?
If so what is the cause?

If this is the case, there maybe volcanic thermal activity creating the drive.

[aichip]

Actually, there is no solid surface. Jupiter is fluid all the way to some indeterminate point inside the planet, perhaps where the rocky core begins.

It is possible that there is some thermal upwelling from there, but the rotation of the planet is measured using the Spot and other smaller features as a guide.

Most scientists think that the spot is some sort of cyclone or storm pattern that persists for centuries, and simulations using fluids in large rotating containers have generated such patterns. In every case where the fluid is rotated over a certain threshold speed, "eye" patterns develop. This is a good indicator that there is nothing sticking up or getting in the way of the wind patterns- a sign there is no solid material or mountains present.

It is theorized that the color is from organic molecules being dredged up from deeper in the atmosphere, and then changing color from exposure to solar ultraviolet light.

An excellent false color image of the spot is here: http://www.solarviews.com/raw/jup/galjup2.jpg

[Galactic Groove]

wow that's an absolutely crazy picture, when you sit back and think of how many Earths can actually fit in there!

Is that a bolt of lightening in the pic at top left?

[Sowndbyte]

Thank you for the links Harry
I read the first one and was intrigued by the third or 4th paragraph about Jupiter undergoing a climate change. kind of lends credence to some beliefs that the Earths current warming trend is mainly solar influenced more then Man made
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsde ... 19/image/a