Jupiter's Great Red Spot: True Age Discovered

Scientists have determined that Jupiter's Great Red Spot is younger than previously thought, revealing it to be around 190 years old (younger than the United States). Initially discovered by Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1665, the spot observed then was not the same as the current storm, which first appeared in 1831. By analyzing early observations and using computer modeling, researchers concluded that the original "permanent spot" likely vanished between the mid-18th and 19th centuries. The Great Red Spot, an anticyclone caused by a superstorm, remains trapped between two jet streams and exhibits a red hue due to stirred chemicals like ammonia ice. Despite being monitored by NASA’s Juno spacecraft, questions remain about why the storm is shrinking and how it has persisted in the same location for nearly two centuries.