New Red Storm on Jupiter (Update: It's getting stronger!)

[sabotai]

Just say this on the Bad Astronomy Blog. A new red storm is forming on Jupiter, just south and to the west of the large red spot that I'm sure most everyone knows about. First time astronomers have gotten to actually see a storm like this forming on Jupiter.

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2006/19/image/a

[Brillig]

Interesting article... apparently there's global warming on Jupiter. Stupid Jovians can't control their environment any better than we can ;)

[Wolfpack]

I wonder if there have been any long-range after-effects from Shoemaker-Levy's collision with Jupiter 12 years ago and whether this might be one of them.

Given its relative size to the Great Red Spot, I'd say it's only about one earth in size.... :eek:

Also wonder if this one will have the same shelf life. The original GRS is I think something like 300 years old at least.

Edit to add: Okay, it's 400+ and there's no way of knowing because the 400 is based on the length of time it's been observed here on Earth. It could be way older than that.

[sabotai]

The most recent photos show that the "Red Spot Jr." is about to pass the Big Red Spot. Chances are it will simply pass the much larger storm, but who knows. The big storm might just swallow up the smaller storm if it gets close enough.

http://www.redspotjr.com/

[Anthony]

how much do you think those big telescopes go for? i didn't know these people could take such excellent pics with those telescopes. pretty cool.

[MJ4H]

Hubble? About 6 billion I believe.

[aran]

Astronomy is such a mind-blowing science. It sucks that most of the images we see from NASA's observatories and such are composite images of non-visible light wavelengths.

[sabotai]

how much do you think those big telescopes go for? i didn't know these people could take such excellent pics with those telescopes. pretty cool.
Here's another website from the guy who tooks the pics

http://jupiter.cstoneind.com/

According to the guy's personal site, he sues this equipment:

All images were taken using a Celestron C11 mounted on an AP900GTO mount. A DMK 21BF04 camera was used. RGB is done using a Homeyer Motorized filter wheel.
Image acquisition was done using IC Capture 2.0 and processing done with Registax V3.


I'd image that would cost a lot (maybe not more than most "expensive" hobbies though)

Edit: The Celestron C11 telescope (not including the mount) is about $3800 retail (a website I'm looking at now has a sale price of $2295). The mount looks like it costs about $8000 (http://www.astro-physics.com/products/mounts/900gto/900gto.htm.) The camera is about $600. The Homeyer wheel is 500 Euros (couldn't find USD amount). Couldn't find a price for the IC Capture software and the Registax software is freeware.

So (not counting laptop to hook up to the telescope), that's probably going to be $13,000+ if you account for sales tax, s&h, etc. The big cost seems to be the mount (which also holds the computer part that keeps the telescope centered on whatever you are looking at). A freind of mine is an Astronomy teacher, and his school spent about $4000 on the telescope and mount (also has the computer part to keep the image steady), so I doubt you need to get the top of the line mount.

I would say a really decent set up would run you at least $6,000 though.

[Anthony]

well, the Celestron C11 (http://www.opticsplanet.net/celestron-c11-cf-telescope.html) isn't "astronomically" priced. it's about what i was expecting. still, to think any ole person can buy one of these and see some pretty sick images of planets - amazing. i wish i was a nerd sometimes.

ok, i don't, but it'd be cool to own one of these.

[Anthony]

http://gallery.rcopticalsystems.com/gallery/Mars_animation.gif

wow, this is cool, someone recorded this image of Mars.

[sabotai]

i wish i was a nerd sometimes.

One of the things that I want if and when I have a good chunk of money to spend would be a backyard observatory.

I am a huge geek. :)

[Anthony]

geeks invented the lightbulb and the remote control, you aren't all that bad.

[sterlingice]

Very cool :)

SI

[Dutch]

Thanks to HA, I think I've had more to say in this thread than anybody else. :)

Seriously, the Jupiter red-spot storm I guess is a permanent storm? What's up with that?

[sabotai]

Seriously, the Jupiter red-spot storm I guess is a permanent storm? What's up with that?

Permanent is a very long time. I'm sure there are ways for it to collapse. Theoretically, it's probably no more permanent than the Sahara Desert or Mount Everest. They haven't been around forever and they won't last forever. But I doubt me and you will live long enough to see any of them end. :)

[TheOhioStateUniversity]

zzzzzzzzzz......

[sabotai]

zzzzzzzzzz......

If you have nothing to add, you can go back to fantasizing about butterface minority chicks. :p

[TheOhioStateUniversity]

Or maybe I will think about red storms on jupiter that will put me to bed very quickly.

[MJ4H]

Thanks for stopping by.

[sterlingice]

New news on Red Jr: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/05jun_redperil.htm



The two biggest storms in the solar system are about to go bump in the night, in plain view of backyard telescopes.

...

"There won't be a head-on collision," she says. "The Great Red Spot is not going to 'eat' Oval BA or anything like that." But the storms' outer bands will pass quite close to one another—and no one knows exactly what will happen.

...

This time might be different. Simon-Miller and Orton think Red Jr. could lose its red color, ironically, by passing too close to the Great Red Spot.
Red Jr./Oval BA wasn't always red. For five years, 2000 to 2005, the storm was pure white like many other small "white ovals" circling the planet. In 2006 astronomers noticed a change: a red vortex formed inside the storm, the same color as the powerful Great Red Spot. This was a sign, researchers believed, that Oval BA was intensifying.






SI

[GoldenEagle]

I enjoyed the astronomy class that I took. I could not bring myself to sell the book back. It is an older book but it is loaded with good information. Anyway, this stuff is also of great interest to me. The topic that caught my attention the most was the debate of Pluto being a planet or not.

When they say that the Red Sport and Red Jr. are storms, what do they mean by that exactly?

[sabotai]

When they say that the Red Sport and Red Jr. are storms, what do they mean by that exactly?

Think of hurricanes, and that their size is talked about in number of Earths that you can fit into them.

[GoldenEagle]

Do the storms do any type of damage to the atmosphere of Jupiter? My guess is maybe they suck in a number of gasses that could 'erode'.

[sabotai]

Do the storms do any type of damage to the atmosphere of Jupiter? My guess is maybe they suck in a number of gasses that could 'erode'.

I don't think they do any damage, but we really don't know much about Jupiter's atmosphere so no one can really say for sure.

[Buccaneer]

I don't think they do any damage, but we really don't know much about Jupiter's atmosphere so no one can really say for sure.

I bet the OSU guy knows!

[sabotai]

Looks like the "little" storm survived it's pass with its older sibling and is now getting much stronger.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2006/little_red_spot.html

[JPhillips]

Topper Schutt said the storm will likely stay on Jupiter, but if it were to hit the East Coast the damage would be catastrophic.

[CraigSca]

What?! Where's the obligatory stronger storm/global warming reference?