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Collection:
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NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection
Collection
NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection
Collection
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Title:
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An Ancient Storm in the Jovian Atmosphere
Title
An Ancient Storm in the Jovian Atmosphere
Title
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Full Description:
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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. Such changes are demonstrated in high-resolution Wide Field and Planetary Cameras 1 & 2 images of Jupiter obtained by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, and presented here by the Hubble Heritage Project team. The Hubble images were originally collected by Amy Simon (Cornell U.), Reta Beebe (NMSU), Heidi Hammel (Space Science Institute, MIT), and their collaborators, and have been prepared for presentation by the Hubble Heritage Team.
Full_Description
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. Such changes are demonstrated in high-resolution Wide Field and Planetary Cameras 1 & 2 images of Jupiter obtained by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, and presented here by the Hubble Heritage Project team. The Hubble images were originally collected by Amy Simon (Cornell U.), Reta Beebe (NMSU), Heidi Hammel (Space Science Institute, MIT), and their collaborators, and have been prepared for presentation by the Hubble Heritage Team.
Full Description
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Date:
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08/05/1999
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NASA Center:
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Hubble Space Telescope Center
NASA_Center
Hubble Space Telescope Center
NASA Center
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Subject Category:
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Planetary Astronomy
Subject_Category
Planetary Astronomy
Subject Category
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Subject Category:
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Planet-Jupiter
Subject_Category
Planet-Jupiter
Subject Category
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Subject Category:
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Hubble
Subject_Category
Hubble
Subject Category
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Keywords:
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Space
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Keywords:
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Field
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Keywords:
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Camera
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Keywords:
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Jupiter
Keywords
Jupiter
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Great
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Keywords:
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Red
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Keywords:
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Spot
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Keywords:
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Telescope
Keywords
Telescope
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Wide
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Keywords:
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Planetary
Keywords
Planetary
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Hubble
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Keywords:
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HST
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Keywords:
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WFPC
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Audience:
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General Public
Audience
General Public
Audience
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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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Jupiter
facet_what
Jupiter
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Aura
facet_what
Aura
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_when:
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08-05-1999
facet_when
08-05-1999
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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1999
facet_when_year
1999
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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PR99-29A1
Image_#
PR99-29A1
Image #
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original_url:
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original_url
original_url
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UID:
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SPD-GRIN-GPN-2000-00 0910
UID
SPD-GRIN-GPN-2000-00 0910
UID
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Center:
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HSTI
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Center Number:
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PR99-29A1
Center_Number
PR99-29A1
Center Number
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GRIN DataBase Number:
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GPN-2000-000910
GRIN_DataBase_Number
GPN-2000-000910
GRIN DataBase Number
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Creator-Photographer:
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NASA, The Hubble Heritage Team, STScI, AURA, Amy Simon Cornell
Creator-Photographer
NASA, The Hubble Heritage Team, STScI, AURA, Amy Simon Cornell
Creator-Photographer
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Original Source:
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DIGITAL
Original_Source
DIGITAL
Original Source
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