NS great red spotThis is an almost mythical figure of Jupiter. Its distinctive sign. One big anticyclone which is spread inClimate From giant planet More than 15,000 kilometers long and about 12,000 kilometers wide. So it is only slightly more than the size of our own Earth! And this vents They are known to fly there at a speed of over 640 kilometers per hour.

but today, astronomers The University of California at Berkeley (United States) reports that between 2009 and 2020 the average wind speed within the range of the Red Spot grade has increased by 8%. Even in the middle zone of high pressure, the winds move a lot. Peacefully.

This result, the researchers achieved thanks to provisional coverage — for more than 30 years now — and oath The space-machine can differentiate on Jupiter, features the Hubble Space Telescope measuring only 170 kilometers in diameter. and to Software making it possible to observe hundreds of thousands of wind vectors each time Hubble observed largest planet in the solar system. “The space telescope is the only one capable of capturing Jupiter’s winds in such detail”Amy Simon says, from Goddard Space Flight Center From NASAMILF in one release de l’esa. The development in question here remains really weak. Less than 2.5 kilometers per hour per Earth year.

Understanding the Physics of the Great Red Spot

Astronomers must now work to understand what increased wind speed. A more difficult task, because Hubble can’t see the high pressure bottom very well. But researchers are excited. “This is an interesting piece of the puzzle that could help us understand what fuels the Great Red Spot and how it maintains its energy.”

Remember that this has puzzled astronomers since the 1870s. Since then, they have understood that it has a wedding cake structure. with multiple floors clouds The waterfall on the outside that tops in the center. The researchers also noted that Jupiter’s Great Red Spot decreased in size and became more circular over time.

on other planets, like on NeptuneAstronomers note that storms tend to disappear in just a few years. So the Great Red Spot is an exception. But this latest work should help scientists elucidate the physical mechanisms that build and maintain such storms on the planets NS Solar System.