Jupiter’s Red Spot
Halfway through the solar system in the far reaches of pace lies a monster of a planet named Jupiter. Its name is derived from the Greek king of the Gods, the ruler of Olympus, and the patron of the Roman State. Jupiter is the fourth brightest object in the sky and has been known since prehistoric times. More recently since the invention of the telescope by Galileo, have humans been able to study Jupiter with better vision. In 1664, one such observer noticed a mysterious occurrence on the planet, the Great Red Spot. Although having been seen from the very early days of the telescope, it was not well studied until 1878. To understand the Great Red Spot, one must first realize the atmospheric conditions of Jupiter itself. Jupiter is very large, so large in fact that the atmospheric pressure generated by Jupiter’s large mass is 318 times that of Earth. Combined with the fact that 75% of Jupiter’s mass is gas, it is quite logical that the planet will experience more than its fair share of storms.
