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Collection:
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NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Hubble Views Ancient Storm in the Atmosphere of Jupiter - October, 1995
Title
Hubble Views Ancient Storm in the Atmosphere of Jupiter - October, 1995
Title
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Original Caption Released with Image:
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When 17th-century astronomers first turned their telescopes to Jupiter, they noted a conspicuous reddish spot on the giant planet. This Great Red Spot is still present in Jupiter's atmosphere, more than 300 years later. It is now known that it is a vast storm, spinning like a cyclone. Unlike a low-pressure hurricane in the Caribbean Sea, however, the Red Spot rotates in a counterclockwise direction in the southern hemisphere, showing that it is a high-pressure system. Winds inside this Jovian storm reach speeds of about 270 mph. The Red Spot is the largest known storm in the Solar System. With a diameter of 15,400 miles, it is almost twice the size of the entire Earth and one-sixth the diameter of Jupiter itself. The long lifetime of the Red Spot may be due to the fact that Jupiter is mainly a gaseous planet. It possibly has liquid layers, but lacks a solid surface, which would dissipate the storm's energy, much as happens when a hurricane makes landfall on the Earth. However, the Red Spot does change its shape, size, and color, sometimes dramatically. Such changes are demonstrated in high-resolution Wide Field and Planetary Cameras 1 & 2 images of Jupiter obtained by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope between 1992 and 1999(PIA01594 thru PIA01599 and PIA02400 thru PIA02402). This image was obtained in February 1995. A montage representing the entire series of images was prepared by the Hubble Heritage Project team and is available at PIA01593. Astronomers study weather phenomena on other planets in order to gain a greater understanding of our own Earth's climate. Lacking a solid surface, Jupiter provides us with a laboratory experiment for observing weather phenomena under very different conditions than those prevailing on Earth. This knowledge can also be applied to places in the Earth's atmosphere that are over deep oceans, making them more similar to Jupiter's deep atmosphere.
Original_Caption_Rel eased_with_Image
When 17th-century astronomers first turned their telescopes to Jupiter, they noted a conspicuous reddish spot on the giant planet. This Great Red Spot is still present in Jupiter's atmosphere, more than 300 years later. It is now known that it is a vast storm, spinning like a cyclone. Unlike a low-pressure hurricane in the Caribbean Sea, however, the Red Spot rotates in a counterclockwise direction in the southern hemisphere, showing that it is a high-pressure system. Winds inside this Jovian storm reach speeds of about 270 mph. The Red Spot is the largest known storm in the Solar System. With a diameter of 15,400 miles, it is almost twice the size of the entire Earth and one-sixth the diameter of Jupiter itself. The long lifetime of the Red Spot may be due to the fact that Jupiter is mainly a gaseous planet. It possibly has liquid layers, but lacks a solid surface, which would dissipate the storm's energy, much as happens when a hurricane makes landfall on the Earth. However, the Red Spot does change its shape, size, and color, sometimes dramatically. Such changes are demonstrated in high-resolution Wide Field and Planetary Cameras 1 & 2 images of Jupiter obtained by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope between 1992 and 1999(PIA01594 thru PIA01599 and PIA02400 thru PIA02402). This image was obtained in February 1995. A montage representing the entire series of images was prepared by the Hubble Heritage Project team and is available at PIA01593. Astronomers study weather phenomena on other planets in order to gain a greater understanding of our own Earth's climate. Lacking a solid surface, Jupiter provides us with a laboratory experiment for observing weather phenomena under very different conditions than those prevailing on Earth. This knowledge can also be applied to places in the Earth's atmosphere that are over deep oceans, making them more similar to Jupiter's deep atmosphere. Original Caption Released with Image
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Addition Date:
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1999-08-24
Addition_Date
1999-08-24
Addition Date
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Image Credit:
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Amy Simon (Cornell U.), Reta Beebe (NMSU), Heidi Hammel (Space Science Institute, MIT)
Image_Credit
Amy Simon (Cornell U.), Reta Beebe (NMSU), Heidi Hammel (Space Science Institute, MIT)
Image Credit
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Produced By:
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Space Telescope Science Institute
Produced_By
Space Telescope Science Institute
Produced By
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Mission:
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Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
Mission
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
Mission
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Spacecraft:
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Hubble Space Telescope
Spacecraft
Hubble Space Telescope
Spacecraft
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Target Name:
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Jupiter
Target_Name
Jupiter
Target Name
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Is a satellite of:
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Sol (our sun)
Is_a_satellite_of
Sol (our sun)
Is a satellite of
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Instrument:
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Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
Instrument
Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
Instrument
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Product Size:
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321 samples x 321 lines
Product_Size
321 samples x 321 lines
Product Size
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Primary Data Set:
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Space Telescope Science Institute
Primary_Data_Set
Space Telescope Science Institute
Primary Data Set
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Producer ID:
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STSCI-PRC99-29B5
Producer_ID
STSCI-PRC99-29B5
Producer ID
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facet_what:
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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Jupiter
facet_what
Jupiter
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Camera 2
facet_what
Camera 2
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
facet_what
Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Jupiter
facet_where
Jupiter
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Caribbean Sea
facet_where
Caribbean Sea
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
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facet_when:
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February 1995
facet_when
February 1995
facet_when
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facet_when:
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October, 1995
facet_when
October, 1995
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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1995
facet_when_year
1995
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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PIA01599
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UID:
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SPD-PHOTJ-PIA01599
UID
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA01599
UID
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orignial url:
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orignial_url
orignial url
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