The ever-changing Great Red Spot
Dec 01, 2021
4 minutes
by Thomas A. Dobbins
The first unambiguous record of the Great Red Spot (GRS) dates from 1831, when German astronomer Samuel Heinrich Schwabe glimpsed a portion of its outline as a pale “bay” indenting the southern edge of the dusky South Equatorial Belt. This muted appearance attracted scant attention until 1878, when the feature suddenly took the form of a vivid brick red ellipse measuring 40,000 km long by 12,000 km wide. It dominated the face of the planet until 1882 when it abruptly faded.
Although it has slowly but steadily diminished in size and its ruddy colour has waxed and
You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
Start your free 30 days