Astronomy Journal Entry

Hubble Sees New Jupiter Red Spot (May 20, 2006)

The Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a new storm on Jupiter that's been called "Red Spot Junior." The new red spot is about half as wide as the Great Red Spot, the huge hurricane-like storm that's raged on Jupiter for over four-hundred years.

Astronomers say it's the first time they've witnessed the birth of this type of oval-shaped storm on Jupiter. The storms are the result of convection currents in the gases that swirl violently in Jupiter's atmosphere.

The new spot formed after three smaller white spots merged into one between 1998 and 2000. At least one of the original white ovals was spotted over 90 years ago.

Just like the Great Red Spot, Red Spot Junior rises above Jupiter's main cloud layer. It may get its red color from material dredged up from lower layers of the atmopshere. This material may get chemically altered by ultraviolet rays of sunlight.

The new red spot could be a sign that Jupiter is going through a period of climate change. Heat flows from Jupiter's equator towards its poles. Computer models predicted that this flow would taper off at 34 degrees south latitude. This is the same location where the new red spot is forming.