WhyCosmo

For centuries, astronomers have been fascinated by Jupiter’s Great Red Spot , a massive windstorm swirling with powerful winds and a fiery red hue. But new research suggests this iconic storm might not be as “permanent” as once believed. 🪐 Records of a spot on Jupiter in the vicinity of the Great Red Spot (pictured) go back hundreds of years. New research reveals that today’s Great Red Spot is not the same as a spot seen in the 1600s. That spot vanished and, someday, the Great Red Spot could too. A Glimpse into the Past 🌠 In the 1600s, astronomers observed a dark, oval-shaped spot on Jupiter’s surface. This feature, dubbed the “Permanent Spot,” seemed destined to remain on the planet forever. However, from 1713, observations of Jupiter no longer showed any signs of this Permanent Spot. Fast forward to 1831, and a new spot appeared—one resembling today’s Great Red Spot. But there’s a twist: historical observations reveal that the Great Red Spot has been shrinking. Agustín Sánchez‐Lave...

  Decades-old Radar Images Reveal Fresh Lava Flows For years, scientists believed Venus was geologically dead, but new evidence suggests that active volcanoes may be common on this second planet from the sun. This groundbreaking discovery emerged from a careful review of photos taken over 30 years ago. "This definitely is another step in the path to understanding Venus as a living, breathing world," says Paul Byrne, a planetary scientist at Washington University in St. Louis. The slopes of Sif Mons, a large volcano on Venus, show signs of relatively recent lava flows (above arrow, highlighted in red). A NASA spacecraft that orbited Venus took this image in the early 1990s. Key Findings: Venus is nearly Earth-sized, and its core might be as hot as Earth's, which could drive volcanic activity. Between 1990 and 1992, NASA's Magellan spacecraft captured radar images of Venus. Recently, researchers found evidence of volcanic activity in these images. The study uncovered tw...

  Jupiter’s Great Red Spot , the most significant storm in the Solar System, has been a subject of fascination for centuries. However, this colossal storm has raged for over 400 years and is mysteriously shrinking . Planetary scientists now believe they have found an explanation: the Great Red Spot is starving. Hubble’s 2021 image of Jupiter shows the Great Red Spot, along with smaller storms that may be affecting its size over time. Courtesy NASA/ESA/STScI. The Mystery Unfolds Since its discovery in the mid-1600s, the Great Red Spot (GRS) has intrigued astronomers. This massive, high-pressure region generates a storm 16,000 km wide, with winds exceeding 321 km per hour, extending 250 km deep into Jupiter’s atmosphere. Since the late 1800s, continuous observations have documented numerous GRS changes, but recent studies reveal it’s shrinking. The Role of Smaller Storms: Yale Ph.D. student Caleb Keaveney and his team proposed that smaller storms feeding the GRS play a crucial rol...