Are you a thrill seeker? Or perhaps a storm chaser? Then I would like to talk to you about one of the most violent places in our solar system: Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. This enormous high pressure storm is similar to a hurricane on Earth, except that it’s huge. Immensely huge.
In 2005, hurricane Katrina struck the coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana. It was one of the deadliest and costliest storms in U.S. history. The hurricane made landfall with wind speeds topping at 125 mph (201 km/h). When it hit land, Katrina was about 400 miles wide (644 km), and it raged for more than a week. It was horrifyingly impressive. But Katrina is nothing more than a light breeze compared to Jupiter’s massive storm.
In the Great Red Spot, assuming that you aren’t instantly crushed by the pressure (you will be), you’re going to have quite a turbulent ride. Wind speeds around the edge of this beast reach over 250 mph (400 km/h). If you’re a wind surfer, this velocity might sound enticing. But consider your arms, legs, and head flailing about sporadically, flapping like a flag in the wind. Not so fun.
To learn more about a day in the Red Spot, see:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/a-day-on-jupiters-great-red-storm/
Image source:
http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/RedSpotEarth.jpg
This is the official blog for From Quarks to Quasars. Visit us at out main site for the lastest in science and astronomy.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
A Day On: Jupiter"s Great Red Storm
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Drops of Jupiter
Earth is quite picturesque from a few thousand miles away. It is equipped with beautiful hues of green that are spread between large gaps of rolling seas of blue, and of course, there are large collections of fluffy white clouds that dance across the face of the planet. The images taken from this vantage point remind us that Earth is quite stunning. Out of the rest of the planets in our solar system, only one other planet (Jupiter) has the variety of colors that we are accustomed to seeing when viewing space-based images of our home planet. In all other cases, the bland, colorless worlds are a stark reminder that our planet is very much alive. Ultimately, Earth"s colors signify its abundance of life. However, in Jupiter"s atmosphere, the intense colors signify something entirely different...
So what do these colors mean? How does Jupiter stack up against our own planet?
To read the full article, see: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/drops-of-jupiter/