GREAT RED SPOT RIVAL: Astronomers are monitoring a new red spot forming in Jupiter's northern hemisphere--a brick-red storm nearly as large as the Great Red Spot itself. On June 17th, amateur astronomer Christopher Go of the Philippines photographed it using an 11-inch Celestron telescope:
"I have been monitoring the new spot since mid-April," says Go. "At first it was relatively small. In late May it began to grow rapidly, and just last week John Rogers of the British Astronomical Association issued an alert for everyone to observe it."
"I hope to get an 890 nanometer 'methane band' image of this object in a few days," adds Go. "A good methane image will prove whether or not the new spot is a genuine anticyclonic storm."
Stay tuned!
EXTRA: Jupiter's atmosphere is rich in methane (CH4), a molecule which absorbs 890 nm light. Viewed through an 890 nm filter, anticyclonic storms such as the Great Red Spot rise above the absorbing methane layer and appear bright. That is why a methane band image will reveal the nature of the new spot.
