Stunning Jupiter Images by Hubble Telescope Reveal New Strange Details
Stunning images from the Hubble Space Telescope revealed the existence of weird structures on the planet Jupiter.
The Hubble Space Telescope spent 10 hours recording the appearance of Jupiter to create a stunning new map of the giant planet's atmosphere. The captured images allowed astronomers to measure the planet's Great Red Spot and see weird formations that have not been seen in decades, according to Discovery.
The Great Red Spot seen on Jupiter is actually a giant storm that has been stirring the southern equatorial region of the planet for some 300 years already. New discoveries indicate that the long duration storm is already weakening because the spot has been shrinking and is now 240 kilometers smaller compared to its size last year, the report details.
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The Great Red Spot used to have a width of 40,000 kilometers a century ago, but now it has shrunk to less than half that size, the report adds.
The Hubble Telescope's map of Jupiter shows that the Great Red Spot has lost some of its color and that a wispy structure has emerged inside the big storm. As of now, astronomers still have not figured out what caused the strange structure to form, and they still have not confirmed what it is.
"Every time we look at Jupiter, we get tantalizing hints that something really exciting is going on," HNGN quotes NASA planetary scientist Amy Simon. "This time is no exception."
Based on Hubble's map of Jupiter, the Great Red Spot has been shrinking at a faster rate year after year. However, its rate of shrinkage has slowed down recently.
Another weird structure spotted on the planet is a wave-like formation above Jupiter's equator. This structure is relatively new because it has not been observed since the Voyager 2 flyby in 1979 when the waves were thought to be either transient or just a fluke.
The maps produced from the Hubble Space Telescope's snapshots of Jupiter and the other planets will be used to study the changes in the heavenly bodies over time. The information gathered should help scientists shed light on the mysteries of the planets in the Solar System.
