Credit: NASA, ESA, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

Using Hubble Space Telescope data spanning approximately 90 days (between December 2023 and March 2024) when the giant planet Jupiter ranged from 391 million to 512 million miles from the Sun, astronomers measured the Great Red Spot's size, shape, brightness, color, and vorticity over one full oscillation cycle. The data reveal that the Great Red Spot is not as stable as it might look. It was observed going through an oscillation in its elliptical shape, jiggling like a bowl of gelatin. The cause of the 90-day oscillation is unknown.

Provider: Space Telescope Science Institute

Image Source: https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2024/news-2024-011

Curator: STScI, Baltimore, MD, USA

Image Use Policy: http://stsci.edu/copyright/