High-resolution images captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope reveal that Jupiter's Great Red Spot is less stable than previously believed. The storm appears to be pulsating, with NASA describing this movement as “jiggling like a bowl of gelatin.”

Astronomers have observed Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) for over 150 years. This massive storm, large enough to engulf Earth, has recently unveiled new details through these sharp images, shedding light on its dynamic nature.

Figure 1. Hubble’s New High-Res Images Show Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is Less Stable Than Expected

The images, captured over 90 days between December 2023 and March 2024, look remarkably like a Van Gogh painting and reveal that Jupiter’s Great Red Spot (GRS) is less stable than scientists had assumed. Figure 1. Hubble’s New High-Res Images Show Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is Less Stable Than Expected.

“We knew its motion in longitude varied slightly, but we didn’t expect the size to oscillate,” said Amy Simon from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the lead author of the study.[1] “For the first time, we have the ideal imaging cadence of the GRS. With Hubble’s high resolution, we can confirm that the GRS is simultaneously squeezing in and out while speeding up and slowing down. This was very unexpected, and we currently have no hydrodynamic explanations.”

Each year, Hubble observes Jupiter and the other outer planets as part of the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program, ongoing for a decade. However, these particular observations focused specifically on the Great Red Spot (GRS).

Amy Simon and her research team used Hubble to zoom in on the GRS, situated between two jet streams, to closely study its shape, size, and delicate color changes.

“As the Great Red Spot speeds up and slows down, it pushes against the powerful jet streams to its north and south,” explained Mike Wong, a co-investigator from the University of California at Berkeley. [2] “It’s like a sandwich where the bread bulges out when there’s too much filling in the middle.”

NASA’s press release further described the GRS’s movement as “jiggling like a bowl of gelatin.”

Data from the OPAL program has shown that the Great Red Spot (GRS) is gradually shrinking. Researchers anticipate that it will continue to contract and eventually stabilize into a more compact, less elongated shape.

“At present, it’s overflowing its latitude band relative to the wind field,” says Amy Simon. “Once it shrinks within that band, the winds will effectively lock it in place.”

Future Hubble observations are expected to reveal more about Jupiter’s mysteries, potentially uncovering the reason behind the oscillations that cause the Great Red Spot’s distinctive “jiggling” motion.

Reference:

1. https://www.popsci.com/science/jupiter-great-red-spot-jiggle/
2. https://newatlas.com/space/jupiter-great-red-spot-oscillating/

Cite this article:

Janani R (2024), Jupiter's Great Red Spot Is Becoming Unstable, Wobbling Like a Bowl of Gelatin, AnaTechmaz, pp. 126