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IMAGE: A flake of red peels away from Jupiter s Great Red Spot during an encounter with a smaller anticyclone, as seen by the Juno spacecraft s high resolution JunoCam on 12 February. view more
Credit: AGU/Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
WASHINGTON The stormy, centuries-old maelstrom of Jupiter s Great Red Spot was shaken but not destroyed by a series of anticyclones that crashed into it over the past few years.
The smaller storms cause chunks of red clouds to flake off, shrinking the larger storm in the process. But the new study found that these disruptions are superficial. They are visible to us, but they are only skin deep on the Red Spot, not affecting its full depth.