(ORDO NEWS) — Experts used data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope and analyzed the behavior of the storm in the Great Red Spot on Jupiter since 2009. They noted that the speed of the winds increases all the time, and the storm itself becomes much less. In recent years, the wind speed has increased by almost 8%, which is equal to 2.5 kilometers every year.
Reported by ScienceAlert.
The Great Red Spot is a huge anticyclone located in the southern part of Jupiter’s atmosphere. It has been under observation for 350 years. The investigations were carried out using both ground-based and space telescopes. Also, scientists used special interplanetary stations.
Michael Wong of the University of California at Berkeley and his colleagues took a completely new approach to analyzing previously obtained data. During the simulation, modern software was used, as well as many parameters in order to establish the exact speed and direction of the winds.
The clouds at the edges of the storm move at a speed of about 640 kilometers per hour, exclusively counterclockwise. At the same time, experts cannot give an answer to the question of what exactly causes the resulting acceleration. The study eliminated causes such as temperature changes and environmental wind shear. Emmy Simon noted that a closer and more detailed study of the storm on Jupiter requires a special fighter plane. Without it, it will most likely not be possible to find out the reason for the acceleration of winds in a storm.
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