In 1989, a spacecraft named Voyager 2 made history by becoming the first to fly past Neptune, a mysterious planet far from Earth. Before this, scientists had only guessed about Neptune’s existence without actually seeing it. As Voyager 2 zoomed by, it took the first-ever pictures of Neptune, showing a smooth blue planet with a huge dark spot in the middle. This spot was actually a gigantic storm!
Five years later, the Hubble Space Telescope took another look at Neptune. To everyone’s surprise, the dark spot had vanished! Scientists thought this storm might be like Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, a storm that’s been raging for at least 350 years.
In this article, we’ll explore how these massive storms form and take a closer look at Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. We’ll also consider if it might disappear during our lifetime. The longest storm ever recorded on Earth was Hurricane John in 1994, which lasted 31 days and traveled over 13,000 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean. While this is impressive, it’s nothing compared to the storms on Neptune and Jupiter, which can last for months, years, or even centuries!
On Earth, hurricanes get their power from warm vapor rising from the sea, forming thick clouds that release heat into the air. This creates an area of low pressure, with warm air rising and cooler air being pulled in. Because Earth spins faster near the equator, the winds start to curve, making the hurricane spin. A hurricane usually weakens when it hits land because it loses its source of warm vapor.
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is different. It’s an anticyclone, which means it forms around an area of high pressure. The storm is powered by two jet streams that keep it spinning but stop it from moving across the planet. Unlike Earth, where storms get energy from the sun, Jupiter’s storm is fueled by heat from its core, which could be as hot as 50,000 degrees. This heat, combined with fast-moving clouds, allows the Great Red Spot to reach speeds of up to 680 km/h.
Jupiter is a gas giant, so it doesn’t have oceans or land to stop storms like Earth does. Neptune’s storms form in a similar way, around high-pressure areas deep in the atmosphere. White clouds of methane often appear before a dark spot forms. Once a storm on Neptune reaches full size, the winds can travel up to 2,100 km/h, the fastest in our solar system. Unlike Jupiter’s Red Spot, Neptune’s storms are pushed around by strong winds and can be torn apart, usually lasting from a few months to a few years.
Jupiter is easier to observe from Earth, and we’ve been watching the Great Red Spot since 1665 when astronomer Gian Domenico Cassini first discovered it. Over time, we’ve seen it change. In the 1800s, the Great Red Spot was 40,000 km long and 14,000 km tall, big enough to fit two or three Earths! By the late 1970s, when Voyager 1 flew by, it had shrunk to nearly half its size. Recent observations by the Hubble Telescope show it’s shrinking by about 1,000 km per year, which means it might disappear by the 2030s.
Besides getting smaller, the Great Red Spot is breaking into smaller pieces and darkening in color. Scientists think this happens because the storm is rising higher into the atmosphere, where more UV light darkens the chemicals involved. But just like predicting the weather on Earth, there’s still a lot we don’t know about these giant storms.
When Neptune’s Dark Spot was first found, scientists thought it had been around for centuries, like Jupiter’s storm. The Great Red Spot is also much hotter than we first thought, with parts of its upper atmosphere reaching over 1,300 degrees. Even with our advanced technology, there’s still so much to learn about these giant, mysterious planets. While we might be losing one of the most famous features of our solar system, the knowledge we gain will help us understand how nature works.
Using materials like cotton balls, colored paper, and a small fan, create a model of a storm on Jupiter or Neptune. Pay attention to the differences between storms on Earth and those on gas giants. Present your model to the class, explaining how the storm forms and what keeps it going.
Make a chart comparing storms on Earth, Jupiter, and Neptune. Include details like size, duration, wind speed, and energy sources. Use this chart to discuss with your classmates how storms on different planets are similar and different.
Imagine you are a weather reporter on Jupiter or Neptune. Write and perform a weather forecast for the Great Red Spot or a Neptune storm. Include information about the storm’s size, speed, and any changes it might be undergoing.
Create a timeline showing the history of the Great Red Spot from its discovery to the present day. Include key events like size changes and scientific discoveries. Use this timeline to predict what might happen to the storm in the future.
Use an online simulation tool to explore how storms form and behave on different planets. Experiment with variables like temperature and wind speed to see how they affect storm development. Share your findings with the class and discuss what you learned about storm dynamics.
In 1989, 12 years after leaving Earth, Voyager 2 became the first spacecraft to fly past the mysterious planet Neptune. At that time, very little was known about the planet, and scientists had only predicted its existence without actually observing it. As it flew by, Voyager captured the very first images of Neptune, revealing a smooth blue sphere with a giant dark spot at its center. This dark spot turned out to be a massive storm.
Five years later, Neptune was observed again, this time by the Hubble Space Telescope. When scientists received the images, they were surprised to see that the dark spot had completely disappeared. They assumed that Neptune’s enormous storm must be similar to Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, which has been around for at least 350 years.
In this video, we will explore how these enormous storms form and take a closer look at Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and the possibility of it disappearing in our lifetime. The longest storm ever recorded on Earth was Hurricane John in 1994, which lasted 31 days and traveled over 13,000 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean. Although this is a significant storm by Earth standards, it pales in comparison to the storms on Neptune and Jupiter, which can last for months, years, or even centuries.
On Earth, the power of a hurricane comes from warm vapor evaporating from the sea, forming dense clouds that release heat into the air. In the right conditions, this creates an area of low pressure with warm air rising and cooler air being drawn in from below. Since the Earth spins faster near the equator, winds moving toward the low-pressure area begin to curve, causing the hurricane to spin. A hurricane usually starts to dissipate once it reaches land, where it no longer receives the warm vapor it needs to sustain itself.
Unlike typical cyclones on Earth, the Great Red Spot on Jupiter is an anticyclone that forms around an area of high pressure. The red spot is powered by two jet streams on either side, which give the storm a constant spin but prevent it from moving across the planet. While a storm on Earth is fueled by heat from the sun, a storm on Jupiter is powered by heat from its metallic core, which could be as hot as 50,000 degrees. The combination of rising heat and fast-moving clouds allows the Great Red Spot to reach speeds of up to 680 km/h.
Since Jupiter is a gas giant, it lacks the contrast of ocean and land that acts as a barrier on Earth. The storms on Neptune form around a similar region of high pressure deep in the atmosphere. White clouds of methane are often seen in high-pressure areas just before a dark spot forms. Once a storm on Neptune reaches its full size, the winds at the storm’s edge can travel up to 2,100 km/h, the fastest in our solar system. Unlike Jupiter’s Red Spot, storms on Neptune are pushed around the planet and can be torn apart by powerful crosswinds. As a result, storms on Neptune typically last from a few months to a few years.
Jupiter is much easier to observe from Earth, and our observations of the Great Red Spot date back to 1665 when astronomer Gian Domenico Cassini first discovered the giant storm. Since then, we have been able to monitor the red spot and watch it evolve over time. However, these observations suggest that the end may be near for this iconic storm. In the 19th century, the Great Red Spot measured 40,000 km long and 14,000 km tall, large enough to encompass two or three Earths. By the time Voyager 1 flew past in the late 1970s, it had shrunk to nearly half its size. Recent observations by the Hubble Telescope indicate that the storm is currently shrinking at a rate of about 1,000 km per year, potentially leading to its complete disappearance by the 2030s.
In addition to losing size, the main red spot appears to be breaking off into smaller streams and darkening in color. Scientists believe that as the storm reaches higher into the atmosphere, the top of the red spot is exposed to more UV light, which darkens the color of the chemicals involved. However, much like predicting the weather on Earth, there is still a great deal we do not understand about these gigantic storms.
When Neptune’s Dark Spot was first discovered, scientists thought it had existed for centuries, similar to Jupiter’s storm. The Great Red Spot is also far hotter than initially believed, with parts of its upper atmosphere exceeding 1,300 degrees. Despite advancements in our observational technology, there remains a wealth of knowledge trapped within the boundaries of these giant, mysterious planets, waiting to be uncovered. So, while we may be losing one of the most iconic features of our solar system, the observations we make will enhance our understanding of how nature operates.
Jupiter – The largest planet in our solar system, known for its many moons and prominent gas composition. – Example sentence: Jupiter is so large that it could fit all the other planets inside it.
Red – A color often associated with the Great Red Spot, a massive storm on Jupiter. – Example sentence: The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is a giant storm that has been raging for hundreds of years.
Spot – A particular area or region, often used to describe features on planets like Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. – Example sentence: Scientists study the Great Red Spot to understand more about Jupiter’s weather patterns.
Storm – A disturbance in the atmosphere of a planet, often involving strong winds and precipitation. – Example sentence: The storm on Neptune is so intense that it can be seen from Earth with a telescope.
Neptune – The eighth planet from the Sun, known for its deep blue color and strong winds. – Example sentence: Neptune is the windiest planet in our solar system, with storms reaching over 1,200 miles per hour.
Atmosphere – The layer of gases surrounding a planet, crucial for weather and climate. – Example sentence: Earth’s atmosphere protects us from harmful solar radiation and helps regulate temperature.
Pressure – The force exerted by the weight of the atmosphere, important in understanding weather patterns. – Example sentence: The atmospheric pressure on Venus is much higher than on Earth, making its surface extremely hot.
Clouds – Visible masses of condensed water vapor or other gases in a planet’s atmosphere. – Example sentence: The clouds on Jupiter are made mostly of ammonia and water, giving the planet its striped appearance.
Giant – Referring to the large size of certain planets, like the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. – Example sentence: Saturn is a giant planet known for its spectacular rings made of ice and rock.
Science – The study of the natural world through observation and experimentation, including fields like astronomy. – Example sentence: Science helps us understand the universe, from the smallest particles to the largest galaxies.
