APOD 22: HUBBLE'S JUPITER

2014 May 17

Jupiter is the Solar System's largest planet, with a mass 320 times larger than that of the Earth. In between Jupiter's bands, the Great Red Spot could easily swallow the Earth, yet Hubble observations have recently discovered the spot is diminishing - most recent records measure the GRS at 10,250 miles across, in comparison to Voyager I's measurements of 14,500 miles in 1979. Current indications are that the rate of shrinking is gradually increasing for the Great Red Spot.