Is the Great Red Spot unravelling?

A crop from Juno Image 7228 - Credit NASA JUNO - taken on the 12th Of September 2019 at 03:39:56 UT when the space craft was at Altitude 42965.2  km, Longitude 314.8963 and Latitude -46.6062. Credit for image processing: Jodrell Plank Observatory Imaging Team Leader Pip Stakkert

"The Great Red Spot has been a constant feature of the turbulent weather system on Jupiter for many centuries. The GRS has been getting smaller for a number of years and this summer the 'shrinking' gained momentum. Close inspection of the above enlarged image reveals 'rivers' of dark material 'leaking' from the  edge of the GRS into the surrounding belts and zones. The affect mimics an 'unravelling' at the interface between the 'Spot' and it's surroundings. Will the GRS continue to shrink? Will the the GRS disappear altogether? If so will another similar storm grow to replace it in size, colour and longevity? We can only guess, watch and wonder but how sad will it be if this old friend departs from the Jovian atmosphere, it's like never to be seen again?" - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Jupiter 2018

The Planet Jupiter + GRS - Meade 127mm. Apo Refractor with Barlow lens at F 22.5 - QHY5-11 Colour Planetary camera - 19th-20th April 2018 - credit: Pip Stakkert 

" The weather in Lowestoft had been rather good for a number of days so Pip Stakkert, our Imaging Team leader at the Jodrell Plank Observatory, pointed the 127mm. Refractor at Jupiter. Sadly, Jupiter is very low this year and near the southern horizon from our location of Latitude 52.4833 North. The images he therefore obtained obliquely through our atmosphere are detrimentally affected by chromatic dispersion, atmospheric heat instabilities and pollution. However blurry the view, keeping an eye on the 'king of the planets' is always a priority at the Jodrell Plank Observatory". - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Wide-field view showing the innermost Galilean moon Io

"Io is pulled and pushed by the the gravitational tidal forces exerted by Jupiter and its other Galilean moons, this imparted energy creates constant and violent volcanic activity in and on this small moon." - Archie Mendes visiting mathematician and astrophysicist. 

More Information about the moon Io

Wide-field view showing  Galilean moons Io and Callisto

The Planet Jupiter + GRS - Meade 127mm. Apo Refractor with Barlow lens at F 22.5 - QHY5-11 Colour Planetary camera - 19th-20th April 2018 - credit: Pip Stakkert 

The Occultation of Europa

First image from the newly mounted 127mm Refractor, taken from the  Jodrell Plank Observatory

"Last night the weather conditions were far from ideal for astrophotography, with high winds and clouds over Lowestoft, but as Jupiter was shining brightly and the Galilean moon Europa was about to be eclipsed and occulted by the planet, I turned the telescope towards the Jupiter and took the above image using the QHY5-11 colour planetary camera. The recently constructed permanent pier performed vey well in the high winds damping any vibrations very affectively". 

"The Great Red Spot was visible through out the evening's observations, in recent times this anticyclonic storm system within the clouds of the equatorial belt has become redder and smaller in size. This storm has existed since observations capable of seeing it commenced but are we now witnessing the beginning of the end for the Great Red Spot ?"

"An eclipse occurs when the shadow of the planet falls upon the moon. An occultation occurs when the moon moves behind the planet. An eclipse of one of the Galilean moons will occur when the planet is between the sun and the moon, consequently a Galilean moon may disappear from our line of sight whilst some distance from Jupiter's limb, it just depends upon the orbital 3 dimensional geometry and the positions of Jupiter, the Galilean moon and Earth". An occultation occurs when  Jupiter is between the Galilean moon and the Earth on a  line of sight from a given location on Earth".  Kurt Thrust current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.