RED SPOT OF JUPITER

The famous Red Spot of Jupiter is a gargantuan thunderstorm more than twice the size of the Earth. It has been raging for centuries, making it's oval appearance one of the most famous landmarks in the Solar System. It consists of several storm cells with wind speeds of over 270mph constantly pouring rain of ammonia and lightening a thousand times more powerful than on Earth. The Red Spot is not the only storm on Jupiter, there are at any time about a dozen other ones raging, but they are significantly weaker and smaller, and they dissipate quicker. The Red Spot of Jupiter is calculated to be about 310 miles deep and essentially feeds from the scorching hot and pitch black depths of the planet. However, astronomers have found that the Red Spot has been shrinking in size and diminishes in appearance at a constant rate. Photos made by the Juno probe orbiting Jupiter show how the Red Spot extends "arms" of clouds from its edge, which break off and gradually fade away, removing energy from the storm. The once mighty Red Spot is already now a much smaller brownish circle and is determined by some experts to fully dissipate within the next couple of decades.