Jupiter's 'Great Red Spot' shrinks but only to become taller: NASA

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Jupiter's 'Great Red Spot' shrinks but only to become taller: NASA
Jupiter's 'Great Red Spot' shrinks but only to become taller: NASA

New Delhi : Jupiter's 'Great Red Spot' has become taller as it is found to be shrinking, revealed NASA on Tuesday. The US-based space agency has been monitoring the iconic spot since 1830.

The 'Great Red Spot' - a major storm on the planet - had been existing for more than 350 years. NASA researchers had revealed in February this year that the storm is fading and is likely to disappear in less than a decade time.

The Great Red Spot is a giant oval of crimson-colored clouds in Jupiter's southern hemisphere that race counterclockwise around the oval's perimeter with wind speeds greater than any storm on Earth.

Findings from the latest research have been published in the Astronomical Journal.

"Storms are dynamic, and that's what we see with the Great Red Spot. It's constantly changing in size and shape, and its winds shift, as well," said Amy Simon, an expert in planetary atmospheres at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland.

"There is evidence in the archived observations that the Great Red Spot has grown and shrunk over time," added Reta Beebe, Professor at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.

"However, the storm is quite small now, and it's been a long time since it last grew," Beebe said.

While the researchers are not sure why that's happening, it's possible that the chemicals which colour the storm are being carried higher into the atmosphere as the spot stretches up.

At higher altitudes, the chemicals would be subjected to more UltraViolet radiation and would take on a deeper colour.

"If the trends we see in the Great Red Spot continue, the next five to 10 years could be very interesting from a dynamical point of view," the researchers said.

"We could see rapid changes in the storm's physical appearance and behaviour, and maybe the red spot will end up being not so great after all," they added.

(with IANS inputs)