r/spaceporn • u/Busy_Yesterday9455 • 1d ago

Jupiter's trademark Great Red Spot is shrinking! (Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Simon) NASA

Post image
1.9k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

818

u/saanity 1d ago

Earthlings: Oh no the red spot is disappearing.

Jupitarians living through an apocalyptic storm for hundreds of years: Finally.

266

u/ridemooses 1d ago

Old lady on Jupiter: it’s been 8400 years…

55

u/DasPartyboot 1d ago

"i can still smell the new formed gasses..."

17

u/Wheeljack7799 1d ago

"The whirlwinds had never formed a vortex..."

10

u/DasPartyboot 1d ago

"they called the Red Spot, the Storm of dreams!"

6

u/NGC-6240 1d ago

Do Jupiterians really call that Red?

5

u/darokrol 1d ago

Jupiter's years or Earth's?

2

u/Transgressingaril 20h ago

Little do the jupiterains know that storm was the only thing keeping out the true horrific monsters on their planet!

(Cue movie trailer)

1

u/Sidders1993 15h ago

Jovians, surely!

255

u/Turibald 1d ago

How is it nowadays in scale? This shot is 10+ years old already.

258

u/ImThePrinceOfAll 1d ago

It fluctuates from year to year. It used to be 3x the size of earth now it's around 1x the size of earth but goes back sometimes, as storms on gas giants tend to do.

11

u/Accomplished-Ant-540 1d ago

how does a storm on a gas planet work?

31

u/LegoDnD 1d ago

Basically the same as on Earth, but there's no ground and centuries more momentum to go around. There's also a matter of different altitudes having different atmospheric density, which restricts airflow when you get deep enough. Any difference beyond that depends on what gasses are at play.

7

u/darkreapertv 1d ago

I thought about the no ground on gas giants thing. How does this work with asteroids dont they form some kind of center because when they “hit” the planet i assume they don’t go through it.

9

u/Evoluxman 20h ago

Gas giants do have a rocky core, its just not "that massive" compared to their gaseous "atmosphere". Most of the gases are so compressed they are somewhat "liquid" too, or more accurately something we call "metallic hydrogen" and imma be honest here I don't really know what that means lol

Here is a diagram of Jupiter's interior here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter#/media/File:Jupiter_diagram.svg

1

u/Accomplished-Ant-540 19h ago edited 18h ago

metallic hydrogen sounds cool af lol but thanks for the explanation

2

u/DuckOfDeathV 19h ago

It wasn't their best album.

1

u/Accomplished-Ant-540 18h ago

🤦🏻‍♂️

1

u/DuckOfDeathV 18h ago

Arg, you ruined my joke! 😩

2

u/Apprehensive_Suit615 21h ago

My assumption would be the storm would essentially shred the asteroid as it gets closer to the center because there is also a very strong gravitational pull the closer in

Source: my hypothesis

1

u/LegoDnD 19h ago

Shoemaker Levy-9 famously dove into Jupiter 31 years ago. It was a comet which means it's full of organic matter, thus I hope that there are now germs floating in the upper atmosphere.

2

u/LegoDnD 19h ago

Saturn is our only planet with no solid component at all, that one's ocean to the core. By "no ground", I mainly mean that the sky is so deep it'll crush you with atmospheric pressure before you even splash into the ocean layer, and you'd be very hungry by the time it happens because falling at such a distance takes a while.

1

u/foozefookie 9h ago

You sure? I just checked Wikipedia and it says Saturn has a rocky core like Jupiter.

1

u/LegoDnD 7h ago

Granted I was parroting a factoid read long-ago that may have since been proven wrong, but Wikipedia is really not the source to indicate as much.

34

u/palexp 1d ago

1x the size of earth?

52

u/Radamat 1d ago

13000km / 7000 mi in diameter.

12

u/elite_haxor1337 1d ago

anyone hear an echo or is it just me?

3

u/XxCorey117xX 1d ago

Yes, earth would fit in the red spot

-12

u/Im-ACE-incarnate 1d ago edited 1d ago

So it's the same size as Earth?

Edit: the x1 confused me 🤷‍♂️

11

u/thefooleryoftom 1d ago

Could be, it fluctuates as they said

8

u/Training_Ad_2086 1d ago

Imagine if it was on earth, no matter how far you go theres storm everywhere with several hundred kmph winds

6

u/SundaySlayday 1d ago

It's the size of Earth, but is it the surface area of Earth? Quick math's from a comment saying Earth has a diameter of about 7k miles. That's a radius of 3.5k. That gives a surface area of that storm about 38 million miles squared. Quick google says Earth has a surface area of 197 million miles squared. Since I'm not sure how high the storm would be, let's just say ground level. So a storm the size of Earth would touch about 19.3% of earth's surface at any moment. Which is a crazy number. It's a giant storm. But you would be able to go far enough to get out of it.

I did sloppy math, but if I got anything wrong lmk.

1

u/Blumenfee 1d ago

Luckily, the Hairy ball theorem says it is impossible to have wind everywhere on earth at the same time.

69

u/LGGP75 1d ago

I don’t know if OP made the image or not but, why not use an updated photo from 2024-25?

27

u/HebridesNutsLmao 1d ago

Cause OP is a bot

-4

u/LGGP75 1d ago

I don’t know if you are being serious or not

209

u/Salty_Price_5210 1d ago

Global warming

60

u/PeaceAndLove420_69 1d ago

Lmao i was like "Hey man at least I'm not getting guilt tripped over things outside of my control for once."

14

u/p5ylocy6e 1d ago

Alright final straw I’m buying a hybrid.

5

u/sor1 1d ago

buy a red firetruck and join the party.

3

u/ZombieAstronaut 1d ago

straw

Better be paper!

11

u/aeroxan 1d ago

"Red spot shrinking on Jupiter. Here's why it's Joe Biden's fault."

11

u/PeaceAndLove420_69 1d ago

The universe is expanding and millennials are doing NOTHING to stop it!!!

1

u/Salty_Price_5210 1d ago

Hahaha sawwy

9

u/ImaSadPandaBear 1d ago

Man made global warming

5

u/Blackberry-thesecond 1d ago

Actually that one's on the Martians, not us.

5

u/ElectricTurtlez 1d ago

As a Martian, I will not stand for this slander! It was the Jovians!

2

u/Bright_Subject_8975 1d ago

Jovians actually.

3

u/MyNameCannotBeSpoken 1d ago

People from Jupiter are called Jovian, not Martian.

1

u/JFISHER7789 1d ago

Well, that’s what WE’VE decided to call them. Technically, nobody on earth would know what they are called until one exists and tells us lol

-2

u/MyNameCannotBeSpoken 1d ago

Folks call Native Americans as Indian and neither is what they call themselves.

2

u/UnscriptedCryptid 1d ago

Oughtn't, though, I believe is the point.

1

u/JFISHER7789 1d ago

Yes that is correct. That is what I was saying, but about the hypothetical people of Jupiter

1

u/ImaSadPandaBear 1d ago

Damnit. I forgot about those guys

-20

u/Salty_Price_5210 1d ago

Impossible. This is Jupiter.

17

u/ImaSadPandaBear 1d ago

I know where it is silly goose. That's the humor in the comment

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago edited 1d ago

[deleted]

2

u/ImaSadPandaBear 1d ago

Exactly

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago edited 1d ago

[deleted]

2

u/ImaSadPandaBear 1d ago

To each their own

5

u/MisterKumquat 1d ago

omg this is jupiter? no way..

1

u/xtilexx 1d ago

Jupiter is also a globe

-1

u/greystar07 1d ago

Entirely possible, just not man made. Planets go through extreme weather changes all the time.

1

u/Salty_Price_5210 1d ago

You may be the only person that can’t float in the dead sea.

-1

u/greystar07 1d ago

Dumbass

1

u/suburbanplankton 1d ago

Thanks Obama!

1

u/the1999person 1d ago

It's pronounced "Climate Change"

0

u/Eranaut 1d ago

We NEED more paper straws to prevent this!

0

u/doradus1994 1d ago

The science is settled

18

u/ElizabethAudi 1d ago

When Jupiter's great eye closes, [insert chilling prophecy]

15

u/nickyonge 1d ago

Imagine having a zit so bad the entire solar system tracks its size over time.

12

u/smile_politely 1d ago

Thought it was a picture of fried eggs 

5

u/whostolemynamebruh 1d ago

Omg the yolk is shrinking!!!

3

u/crackle_and_hum 1d ago

It's just wild to think about all the forces that are keeping that thing going.

3

u/reluctant_presence 1d ago

Is this just a natural cycle, or is it caused by global warming?

2

u/reluctant_presence 1d ago

(/s, just in case)

8

u/greystar07 1d ago

Climate change

2

u/DomesticatedSheep 12h ago

New skin care routine?

5

u/Fun-Space2942 1d ago

Need a banana for scale…or maybe there already is?

1

u/po_ta_toes_80 1d ago

Someone needs to do the math on how many bananas would fit in that picture.

2

u/FaustinoAugusto234 1d ago

HAL: What is going to happen?

Dave: Something wonderful.

HAL: I’m afraid.

Dave: Don’t be. We’ll be together.

HAL: Where will we be?

Dave: Where I am now.

1

u/YouInternational2152 1d ago edited 1d ago

Here's the information from Fox News.

News alert!

The Great Red spot on Saturn is shrinking. Are (DEI initiatives, global warming, the Biden administration) causing it? Our experts think so.

1

u/DoughNotDoit 1d ago

I wish we could see in real time what's inside Jupiter, I know it's gas but still cool right?

1

u/sethmcmath08 1d ago

Everything is shrinking… and everything else… probably expanding.

1

u/jfjcnl 1d ago

Jupiter is dead

1

u/damandan28 1d ago

Fucking climate change

1

u/Bandaidken 1d ago

Climate change

1

u/AmorFatiBarbie 1d ago

r/SkincareAddicts can take credit for this one. A pimple patch and salicylic acid did wonders 💅 Total glow up.

1

u/LightFusion 1d ago

If you think this is interesting look up what's at the North/South pole of Jupiter and Saturn.

1

u/Efficient-Editor-242 1d ago

My wife tells me that happens with age.

1

u/Bumble-Fuck-4322 1d ago

2014 is the most recent quality photo we have?!

1

u/dvmbguy 23h ago

Do we know when/if that storm will ever end?

1

u/spirited_lost_cause 22h ago

Climate change ruins everything

1

u/EorlundGraumaehne 20h ago

When will it be gone completely?

1

u/PrimaryDangerous514 20h ago

Just like the fucking bags of potato chips. Shrinkflation is real. Feels ya Jupes.

1

u/ninj1nx 11h ago

Who trademarked it?

1

u/RemarkableSea2555 5h ago

I JUST GOT OUT OF THE POOL

1

u/saturn-peaches 3h ago

Why are so many people joking about climate change like it isn't a real thing? Are there... Are there people here who don't believe in science? Why are you on this sub?

1

u/TackyPoints 3h ago

The medication is helping clear it up

1

u/SimpleMaintenance433 52m ago

Must be all the fossil fuels we are using on earth. Quick, governments of the earth, you need to act now and introduce some new taxes for everyone to help save Jupiters red spot before it's too late!

1

u/Joeycaps99 1d ago

Didn't it disappear a few times in history tho?

4

u/Astromike23 1d ago

Yes, it did disappear once.

If you go back in the historical observation record, the Great Red Spot was first observed in 1685 by Cassini, then after the late 1600s it seemed to disappear for a century or two as the entire latitude band clouded over - literally no observations of it were made for 175 years in spite of plenty of telescopes that could easily have seen it. It was only first re-observed in 1869 by Joseph Gledhill, at the time referred to as "Gledhill's Ellipse". Reference from 1898 here.

2

u/thefooleryoftom 1d ago

Not that we’re aware of

5

u/Astromike23 1d ago

PhD in planetary atmospheres here. Yes it did.

The Great Red Spot was lost after the late 1600s, and was only re-observed in 1869. We still don’t know if it’s the same vortex that just clouded over, or an entirely new one formed in its spot.

5

u/thefooleryoftom 1d ago

Thanks for the correction!

1

u/Trollercoaster101 1d ago

The not-great-as-yesterday red spot.

1

u/BornBoricua 1d ago

Hey, come on, it's cold out in space

1

u/ProfessionalCoat8512 1d ago

Is it shrinking or intensifying?

1

u/StrengthToBreak 1d ago

I blame Big Oil.

0

u/StormAntares 1d ago

If there where aliens there , they would be climatic refugees

-8

u/gimmeslack12 1d ago

Jupiter is no where near the mass to be a star. It needs to be 80x larger at minimum to start any kind of fusion. Just figured since I had your attention I'd share this.

0

u/ApprehensiveShame756 1d ago

I’m sure it’s related to the Borg cube.

0

u/peahair 1d ago

Jupiter’s Mum: if you pop that spot it’ll only come back bigger.. 300 years later..

0

u/Cultural-Memory356 1d ago

Galactic Warming is a bitch.

0

u/mudslags 1d ago

I can imagine r/conspiracy flipping their shit if the spot disappeared.

0

u/chrisberman410 1d ago

It's those god damn single-use plastics

0

u/tinfoil_powers 1d ago

Wow, so that's how big the milky way looks compared to Jupiter.

0

u/TheVallelator 1d ago

Cosmic warming I tell ya

0

u/Ok-Network-1491 1d ago

It’s cold in space… shrinkage happens r/unexpectedsiegfried

0

u/CodeandVisuals 1d ago

The timer for our solar system winds down. When the last winds blow Tiamat shall be unleashed.

0

u/BuddhaThisLoaf 1d ago

I'm sure world governments could diverte few trillion out of the world hunger fund to save Jupiter's big red spot!

0

u/SeamusTheDog 1d ago

ALL THESE WORLDS

ARE YOURS EXCEPT

EUROPA

ATTEMPT NO

LANDING THERE

USE THEM TOGETHER

USE THEM IN PEACE

1

u/iamalwaysthatguy 1d ago

My God, it's full of stars.

0

u/TamashiiNu 1d ago

Getting 2010 vibes

0

u/DaFatWeasel 1d ago

Climate change! 😱

0

u/plainsdrifter-436 1d ago

Must be all the SUV's.

0

u/Glum_Performer6441 19h ago

Climate change!

-2

u/noodleexchange 1d ago

You go girl! Hard work pays off!

-1

u/OCCAMINVESTIGATOR 1d ago

It's healing on its own

-1

u/LonelyCakeEater 1d ago

Reverse climate change

-1

u/Wydo4 1d ago

Jupiter was just in the pool

-1

u/alangcarter 1d ago

This is the video Dr. Pimple Popper can't stop watching.

-1

u/RevealPrestigious695 1d ago

Global Warming

-1

u/Denlim_Wolf 1d ago

Global warming is no joke.

-1

u/Tourman36 1d ago

Global warming finally affecting Jupiter too. SMH.

-1

u/ManMythLegacy 1d ago

Climate change?

-1

u/Treyas90 1d ago

Global warming.

-12

u/StellaSlayer2020 1d ago

It’s the Democrats fault.

-2

u/CaSh31MoNeY 1d ago

Fucking climate change

-2

u/Hlarge4 1d ago

Sad! January 20th can't come fast enough. /s

-7

u/Gullible_Actuary_973 1d ago

Which way are the Dems gonna spin this 😂

0

u/Hlarge4 1d ago

*politicians

-5

u/Gullible_Actuary_973 1d ago

It was a joke. Dems is funnier cause it makes me look mental. I'm not even from America.

0

u/Hlarge4 1d ago

Lucky

1

u/Immediate-Low-6191 6m ago

Most likely due to global warming