Jupiter’s iconic spot
There are few things in the Solar System more iconic then Jupiter's Great Red Spot, that swirling vortex staring out from the giant planet like a huge eye. Ever since Cassini (or was it Hooke?) first spotted it back in the late 17th century, it's been an object of fascination for astronomers and amateur stargazers alike. New research shows the spot is not only shrinking, it's speeding up — but why? What's going on? What even is this thing anyway? Emily's got all the answers.
Syzygy is produced by Chris Stewart and co-hosted by Dr Emily Brunsden from the Department of Physics at the University of York.
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Since you’re here … You might be interested in a new, sciencey podcast: Science, possibly — science-adjacent stories by Chris Stewart and James Lees.
Things we discuss in this episode:
The Jupiter spot paper by Wong et al.
ESA site on the discovery
NASA’s Jupiter website
The Juno mission and images
Voyager I visits Jupiter
Historical observations by Cassini & Hooke