• Question: why does jupiter have a red mark on it?

    Asked by to Fiona, Kevin on 25 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Fiona McLean

      Fiona McLean answered on 25 Jun 2014:

      This is such a great question!

      The spot on Jupiter is actually a storm! But not just your average storm. This storm is thought to have been going on for over 350 years! And it’s also huuugggeee. It’s actually bigger than the Earth, although it is thought to be shrinking. If you pick the right time to look at Jupiter, you can actually see the red spot with just a normal telescope.

      Scientists aren’t completely sure why the spot is red but they think it’s to do with chemicals that Jupiter is made up of being pulled up out of the ground and spun around. The spot has also been known to disappear! This is due to the rest of Jupiter’s atmosphere hiding it. But it’s still there!

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