APOD: Jupiter, Ganymede, Great Red Spot (2015 May 15)

[APOD Robot]

Jupiter, Ganymede, Great Red Spot

Explanation: In this sharp snapshot, the Solar System's largest moon Ganymede poses next to Jupiter, the largest planet. Captured on March 10 with a small telescope from our fair planet Earth, the scene also includes Jupiter's Great Red Spot, the Solar System's largest storm. In fact, Ganymede is about 5,260 kilometers in diameter. That beats out all three of its other fellow Galilean satellites, along with Saturn's Moon Titan at 5,150 kilometers and Earth's own Moon at 3,480 kilometers. Though its been shrinking lately, the Great Red Spot's diameter is still around 16,500 kilometers. Jupiter, the Solar System's ruling gas giant, is about 143,000 kilometers in diameter at its equator. That's nearly 10 percent the diameter of the Sun.

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[4321lynx]

Great Red Spot's diameter is still around 16,500 kilometers.

The Great Red Spot ( GRS ) , as we all know,is an oval and Wiki states at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Jupiter

The GRS rotates counter-clockwise, with a period of about six Earth days[73] or 14 Jovian days. Its dimensions are 24,000–40,000 km east-to-west and 12,000–14,000 km north-to-south. The spot is large enough to contain two or three planets the size of Earth. At the start of 2004, the Great Red Spot had approximately half the longitudinal extent it had a century ago, when it was 40,000 km in diameter. At the present rate of reduction, it could potentially become circular by 2040, although this is unlikely because of the distortion effect of the neighboring jet streams.[74] It is not known how long the spot will last, or whether the change is a result of normal fluctuations

[LDeane]

The description says the photo was taken with a small telescope. Can you elaborate? What size? type? Cause that's an impressive picture!

[geckzilla]

The description says the photo was taken with a small telescope. Can you elaborate? What size? type? Cause that's an impressive picture!

I can't find this specific picture of Jupiter on Damian's site (it probably hasn't been updated with the image yet) but there are comparable ones there and here is a page which tells about all of his telescopes and observing locations. http://www.damianpeach.com/observatory.htm

[LDeane]

The description says the photo was taken with a small telescope. Can you elaborate? What size? type? Cause that's an impressive picture!

I can't find this specific picture of Jupiter on Damian's site (it probably hasn't been updated with the image yet) but there are comparable ones there and here is a page which tells about all of his telescopes and observing locations. http://www.damianpeach.com/observatory.htm

Thank you geck!

[WordGeek]

It should be "Though it's been shrinking lately" not "Though its been shrinking lately."

[Craine]

It should be "Though it's been shrinking lately" not "Though its been shrinking lately."

I am not even sure if it's is correct. Perhaps it should be it has, as the statement is clearly about the past.

[Idaho Astro]

I know I'm going to be accused of pedantry, but can we PLEASE stop referring to Jupiter as a "gas giant?" It's mostly (by mass or volume, take your pick) liquid. Just because hydrogen is a gas under terrestrial conditions, doesn't mean those conditions are relevant inside Jupiter.

Also, while Ganymede is, indeed, larger than the moons listed, it's worth noting that it's also larger than Mercury.

[Boomer12k]

The description says the photo was taken with a small telescope. Can you elaborate? What size? type? Cause that's an impressive picture!

If you click on his name, you go to his site, it is really good...and he uses a variety of scopes and cameras....basically 12-14inch Celestron. Small by some standards...it is really the CAMERA that makes the difference I think.

:---[===] *

[Boomer12k]

This is just an amazingly wonderful and beautiful shot!!! I need to get me a 1,000 dollar camera some time...

The crispness and focus, et al, all just awesome. The detail is spectacular. The level of texture is really great...and you can see surface on Ganymede, and not just "fuzz"...

Truely Outstanding Job, Damian...I am...

:---[===] *

[geckzilla]

I know I'm going to be accused of pedantry, but can we PLEASE stop referring to Jupiter as a "gas giant?" It's mostly (by mass or volume, take your pick) liquid. Just because hydrogen is a gas under terrestrial conditions, doesn't mean those conditions are relevant inside Jupiter.

Haha. You want to change an astronomy term? Good luck with that. I'll keep complaining about planetary nebula and you can complain about gas giant.

[Chris Peterson]

If you click on his name, you go to his site, it is really good...and he uses a variety of scopes and cameras....basically 12-14inch Celestron. Small by some standards...it is really the CAMERA that makes the difference I think.

There are lots of inexpensive cameras that can do this. Planets don't place high technical requirements on cameras the way deep sky images do.

[hoohaw]

It should be "Though it's been shrinking lately" not "Though its been shrinking lately."

As my son would, unfortunately, write, hey, your right!

[chanio]

Great Red Spot's diameter is still around 16,500 kilometers.

The Great Red Spot ( GRS ) , as we all know,is an oval and Wiki states at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Jupiter

The GRS rotates counter-clockwise, with a period of about six Earth days[73] or 14 Jovian days. Its dimensions are 24,000–40,000 km east-to-west and 12,000–14,000 km north-to-south. The spot is large enough to contain two or three planets the size of Earth. At the start of 2004, the Great Red Spot had approximately half the longitudinal extent it had a century ago, when it was 40,000 km in diameter. At the present rate of reduction, it could potentially become circular by 2040, although this is unlikely because of the distortion effect of the neighboring jet streams.[74] It is not known how long the spot will last, or whether the change is a result of normal fluctuations

[starsurfer]

I know I'm going to be accused of pedantry, but can we PLEASE stop referring to Jupiter as a "gas giant?" It's mostly (by mass or volume, take your pick) liquid. Just because hydrogen is a gas under terrestrial conditions, doesn't mean those conditions are relevant inside Jupiter.

Haha. You want to change an astronomy term? Good luck with that. I'll keep complaining about planetary nebula and you can complain about gas giant.

There is nothing wrong with planetary nebula! They are nebulae and some of the brighter ones happen to look like a planet through small telescopes.

[Hooba Dooba]

I know I'm going to be accused of pedantry, but can we PLEASE stop referring to Jupiter as a "gas giant?" It's mostly (by mass or volume, take your pick) liquid. Just because hydrogen is a gas under terrestrial conditions, doesn't mean those conditions are relevant inside Jupiter.

I'll start calling gas giants 'liquid giants' if you'll start calling stars 'plasma supergiants'.