Great Red Spot Trivia Questions

Though shrinking, it's still about 1.3 times the diameter of Earth, meaning our planet could fit inside it with room to spare.

First observed in the 1600s, it's a persistent anticyclonic storm larger than Earth, though continuous observation only began later.

Jupiter has no solid surface; the Spot is a high-pressure storm system in the gas giant's atmosphere, not a geological feature.

It was likely first seen in the 1600s after the telescope's invention; Romans lacked the technology to spot it.

It drifts longitudinally over time, and its winds swirl at hundreds of miles per hour; it's not stationary.

Observations since the 1800s show the storm has contracted drastically; it was once wide enough to fit three Earths, now just over one.

Scientists believe ultraviolet sunlight reacts with ammonia and acetylene in Jupiter's atmosphere, creating reddish compounds that tint the storm.

The storm's clouds are mostly ammonia ice; water clouds lie much deeper, and the spot's temperature is around -250°F.