Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Even Deeper Than Expected

Washington: Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, a swirling storm so big it can swallow the Earth, is deeper than expected, according to data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft.

Researchers said on Thursday the Great Red Spot plunges between roughly 350 to 500 km below the cloud tops on Jupiter, based on microwave and gravity measurements obtained by Juno, reported Reuters.

The planet, known as a gas giant, is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, with traces of other gases. Stripes and a few storms like the Great Red Spot make the planet appear colourful.

The Great Red Spot is a storm roughly 16,000 km wide churning in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere, with crimson-coloured clouds that spin counterclockwise at high speeds, one of the wonders of the solar system.

Jupiter lacks a solid surface though it may have a solid inner core.

Juno has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016. There are indications the Great Red Spot may be shrinking in size.