The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is ready for its close-up
NASA probe may help unravel mysteries of planet’s violent storm
Humanity will get its closest look ever next week at Jupiter’s famed Giant Red Spot, a ferocious, 10,000-mile wide storm whipped by 300-mph winds.
On Monday, NASA’s Juno spacecraft will fly directly over the monstrous storm, which is considered one of the marvels of our solar system.
“Jupiter’s mysterious Great Red Spot is probably the bestknown feature of Jupiter,” said Scott Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute.
The storm has raged since at least 1830 and possibly since the mid-1600s, when the spot may have been first seen from Earth.
“This monumental storm has raged on the solar system’s biggest planet for centuries,” Bolton said. “Now, Juno and her cloud-penetrating science instruments will dive in to see how deep the roots of this storm go and help us understand how this giant storm works and what makes it so special.”
The spacecraft will pass about 5,600 miles above the Giant Red Spot’s clouds. All eight of the spacecraft’s instruments as well as its camera, JunoCam, will be on during the flyby.
The storm is big enough to fit about two or three Earths. Its swirling pattern of colorful gases is often called a “perpetual hurricane.”
NASA’s Juno probe, which stretches as wide as a basketball court, entered orbit around Jupiter one year ago. The $1 billion spacecraft spent almost five years traveling to the giant planet, where it has been studying what lies beneath the swirling clouds.
While peering at Jupiter, Juno has learned about the planet’s origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.
The spacecraft’s visit to Jupiter will be fleeting, however: In early 2018, after years of intense bombardment of radiation from the planet, Juno will go out in a blaze of glory as it takes a final dive into Jupiter’s atmosphere and burns up.