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Why does the Big red spot on Jupiter always face the Sun?

Come on, Mark. If you want to ask that, start a new thread for it in the other forum.

mark swain wrote:Why does the Big red spot on Jupiter always face the Sun?

It doesn't. It rotates around with the rest of Jupiter's atmosphere, about once every 10 hours.

Chris Peterson wrote:

mark swain wrote:Why does the Big red spot on Jupiter always face the Sun?

It doesn't. It rotates around with the rest of Jupiter's atmosphere, about once every 10 hours.

One Question always makes another Question. (Did anybody time the spot around the back and front?) Does the spot move at the same speed as rotation? etc etc

geckzilla wrote:Come on, Mark. If you want to ask that, start a new thread for it in the other forum.

Yes I know mate, But we are talking atmosphere. What causes the cloud formations on other planets? You Tell me What makes these, Other than Tidal forces?

Temperature gradations and solar radiation that causes them are two that come to mind. I don't think I've ever heard of tidal forces having any effect on cloud formation, but I'm not an expert. I did used to be really interested in meteorology when I lived in tornado alley but that juvenile fantasy of becoming a tornado chaser went away once I found out how boring it is 99% of the time.

geckzilla wrote:Temperature gradations and solar radiation that causes them are two that come to mind. I don't think I've ever heard of tidal forces having any effect on cloud formation, but I'm not an expert. I did used to be really interested in meteorology when I lived in tornado alley but that juvenile fantasy of becoming a tornado chaser went away once I found out how boring it is 99% of the time.

I like your style mate, but there is at one point, an ocean in the sky at most points. Water, how ever low the pressure, is heavy. What makes it heavy? And what else can control it? Why do weather forecast always get it wrong?

Gravity, Sun, Moon.

mark swain wrote:One Question always makes another Question. (Did anybody time the spot around the back and front?) Does the spot move at the same speed as rotation?

Yes, many people have timed its rotation. And yes, it travels at the same speed as the atmosphere at its latitude. Jupiter displays differential rotation, so the gases at different latitudes rotate at somewhat different speeds. The entire concept of planetary rotation is a little complex in the case of bodies that are largely gas.

Jupiter doesn't experience very strong solar tides, because it is so far away from the Sun. Certainly, nobody has reported any visible tidal effects in Jupiter's atmosphere.

Jupiter I would think, has its own stronger than the sun, tidal forces. The earth does not. So who is Boss? Who makes your strange clouds?

Thanks for you input Chris

Mark

mark swain wrote: I like your style mate, but there is at one point, an ocean in the sky at most points. Water, how ever low the pressure, is heavy. What makes it heavy? And what else can control it? Why do weather forecast always get it wrong?

Gravity, Sun, Moon.

If you think throwing those three variables into the calculation will suddenly bring a high degree of accuracy to weather forecasting, I suggest you become a meteorologist and make it your primary occupation. Just think of all the botched shuttle launches you could save NASA! You could be the astronauts' hero. Even astronauts need heroes.

mark swain wrote:Jupiter I would think, has its own stronger than the sun, tidal forces. The earth does not. So who is Boss? Who makes your strange clouds?

Tidal forces occur between objects. Jupiter exerts tides on its satellites, for instance. But Jupiter has nothing that can produce large tidal forces on it. The moons are too small, and the Sun too far away. The Earth feels stronger tides from the Moon than Jupiter feels from anything.

On Earth, tidal forces act on the atmosphere the same way they act on the land and sea: they lift large sections. In the case of the atmosphere, they distort it from a pure sphere. This creates subtle effects in mixing and various boundary zones, mainly at very high altitudes. Clouds are a local phenomenon- tides no more cause clouds in the air than they cause waves in the ocean. The scale is wrong. There are much greater forces at play that we should look at for cloud formation: localized variations in temperature and pressure, variations in water content, and the like.

Chris Peterson wrote: Clouds are a local phenomenon- tides no more cause clouds in the air than they cause waves in the ocean. The scale is wrong. There are much greater forces at play that we should look at for cloud formation: localized variations in temperature and pressure, variations in water content, and the like.

Chris, Mate, you need to do your research. Clouds are caused by Z-pinches and dark matter/energy.

I thought it does no longer eist? edit: that's Neptune spot what's gone, I must have been confused by something

Orca wrote:Chris, Mate, you need to do your research. Clouds are caused by Z-pinches and dark matter/energy.

You forgot micro wormholes <g>.