File this one under: "The more things change, eh? ..."
Shocker from Jupiter: Great Red Spot is shrinking
posted sfgate.com, by Staff -- May 15, 2014
[...]
Historic observations as far back as the late 1800s [2] gauged this turbulent spot to span about 41,000 kilometers at its widest point — wide enough to fit three Earths comfortably side by side. In 1979 and 1980 the NASA Voyager fly-bys measured the spot at a shrunken 23,335 kilometers across. Now, Hubble has spied this feature to be smaller than ever before [16,500 kilometers across].
[...]
“In our new observations it is apparent that very small eddies are feeding into the storm,” said Simon. “We hypothesized that these may be responsible for the accelerated change by altering the internal dynamics of the Great Red Spot.”
Simon’s team plan to study the motions of these eddies, and also the internal dynamics of the spot, to determine how the stormy vortex is fed with or sapped of momentum.
[...]
Watch: NASA video shows Jupiter's Great Red Spot is shrinking
Link to Video
Published on May 16, 2014
Photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope clearly show that Jupiter's Great Red Spot is shrinking. The images, spanning the course of 20 years, indicate that the spot - which is actually a massive storm - is narrowing faster than ever before. Astronomers don't know why the spot is shrinking, or what will happen next.
posted by CBSNews.com Web Extras
Now if only the Republicans can figure out how to perform that "disappearing trick" on -- their Fear of Taxes, their Fear of Science, their Fear of 'Losing their Country' ...
eh?
A few more "Minutes of Zen" -- brought to you by the Planet: Jupiter (... and the good folks who are still fascinated by it.)
The Great Red Spot
Link to Video
As explained by Andy Ingersoll, Co-investigator Atmospheric Sciences -- Caltech.
posted by NASAJuno
The Eye Of Jupiter
Link to Video
"The Eye Of Jupiter" (or "The Great Red Spot") is a persistent anticyclonic storm 22° south of Jupiter's equator; Earth observations establish a minimum storm lifetime of 182 years to possibly 347 years. I also composed the music for this video -- a five minute track of the same name. Thanks for watching!
posted by imyouandurme
Great Red Spot of Jupiter HD
Link to Video
History Channel's Series: The Universe: Michio Kaku, David Grinspoon, Rob Roy Britt, Adam Showman, Bill Gallus.
posted by www.QuietVoices.org
“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
-- William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Better study up, Horatio. There's a new Exam, nearly everyday, in this thing we call Life.