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You are here: Home / Space / What Is the Great Red Spot On the Planet Jupiter and When Was the Great Red Spot On Jupiter First Discovered?

What Is the Great Red Spot On the Planet Jupiter and When Was the Great Red Spot On Jupiter First Discovered?

July 19, 2020 by Karen Hill

Since the seventeenth century, observers have seen a huge, oval red spot south of Jupiter’s equator.

The Great Red Spot has a greater surface area than Earth: 8,400 miles (13,440 km) wide by 24,000 miles (38,400 km) long.

Scientists have determined that the spot is a huge atmospheric storm.

It appears as a hollow, or depression, in Jupiter’s cloud cover and is reminiscent of a spiraling cyclone viewed from above.

The red spot whirls around itself in a counterclockwise movement, taking 9 days at its center and 12 days at its edge to complete one rotation.

Related Facts

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  • Is Jupiter's Great Red Spot Always In the Same Place and Is the Great Red Spot On Jupiter Visible From Earth?
  • Who Discovered the Great Dark Spot On the Planet Neptune and How Big Is the Great Dark Spot On Neptune?
  • What Is Saturn's Great White Spot and How Often Does the Great White Spot On Saturn Appear?
  • What Color Is the Planet Jupiter and What Causes the Different Colors Of the Cloud Bands On the Planet Jupiter?
  • How Big Are the Minor Planets Between Mars and Jupiter and What Was the First Minor Planet Discovered?

Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Do All the Moons That Orbit Jupiter Revolve around the Planet Jupiter Together?
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