Fergie's Tech Blog

Differences Spotted in Jupiter's Big Red Storms

Ker Than writes on Space.com:

The two most prominent storms on Jupiter's surface, the Great Red Spot and Red Spot Jr., both appear rust colored in visible light, but they are markedly different when viewed at infrared wavelengths, new observations show.

Recent images snapped by the Keck II telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii show that Red Spot Jr. is much darker than its larger counterpart under near-infrared light.

The new finding suggests that the tops of its storm clouds are either lower than those of the Great Red Spot or that its clouds are less dense and thus reflect less light, said lead astronomer Imke de Pater of the University of California, Berkeley.

The team thinks that with more space above its cloud tops, Red Spot Jr. might be absorbing more infrared light by molecules like methane in the atmosphere.

posted by Fergie @ 7/31/2006 03:08:00 PM