New Insights into Jupiter's Great Red Spot Formation and Evolution

Jupiter's Great Red Spot, a massive storm larger than Earth, has been raging for over 300 years. Recent research suggests it may not be as old as previously believed, with the storm likely disappearing between the 18th and 19th centuries. 

Observations show the spot shrinking from 24,233 miles across in 1879 to 8,700 miles currently, taking on a rounder shape. 

NASA's Juno mission revealed the spot's shallow and thin nature, and researchers believe it formed from an extended storm cell trapping winds. 

Key Highlights:

- The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is a huge storm that has been raging for more than 300 years and is larger than the entire Earth.

- Researchers have concluded that the Great Red Spot may not be as old as previously believed and that it likely formed from an extended storm cell trapping winds and producing a proto-GRS.

- The spot was first observed in the 1600s, and it was initially thought to have been seen by Giovanni Cassini, who termed it the Permanent Spot, but it wasn't until the 1830s that it was named the Great Red Spot.

- The storm has gradually reduced in size over time, changing from an oval shape to a rounder one, and is currently about 8,700 miles in diameter.

- The researchers also found that the Great Red Spot is shallow and thin compared to its horizontal dimension, and it is unlikely to have originated from the eruption of a massive superstorm.

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