SoylentNews

takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

A "Great Cold Spot" has been found [arstechnica.com] at Jupiter's higher latitudes using the Very Large Telescope's [wikipedia.org] CRIRES instrument:

Astronomers have been characterizing Jupiter's Great Red Spot, a brilliant, swirling storm located just south of the planet's equator, for the better part of three centuries. Now, scientists say they have found another great spot on Jupiter at higher latitudes.

The "Great Cold Spot" is defined by its temperature relative to the surrounding upper atmosphere on the planet. Temperatures in Jupiter's upper atmosphere range from about 700 to 1,000 Kelvin, and the relatively well-defined cold area is about 200 Kelvin cooler. Measuring about 24,000 kilometers in longitude and 12,000 kilometers in latitude, the cold spot is nearly as large as the more famous red spot.

The Juno spacecraft [wikipedia.org] will be able to provide additional data about the region.

Original Submission