1 00:00:00,001 --> 00:00:05,282 HUBBLE OBSERVES JUPITER’S // GREAT RED SPOT CHANGING 2 00:00:05,282 --> 00:00:12,552 Jupiter’s most iconic feature is a giant storm known as the Great Red Spot. 3 00:00:12,552 --> 00:00:23,148 The massive storm’s clouds spin at speeds that exceed 400 miles per hour (643 km/h). 4 00:00:23,148 --> 00:00:32,436 In the 1800s, astronomers observed the storm many times. But no one knows when it began. 5 00:00:32,436 --> 00:00:42,652 For more than a century, astronomers noted it shrinking in size and becoming more circular than oval. 6 00:00:42,687 --> 00:00:50,143 Hubble’s deployment in 1990 gave them even clearer annual views of Jupiter. 7 00:00:50,143 --> 00:00:59,767 But they started to notice something strange... 8 00:00:59,767 --> 00:01:09,984 The winds on the outermost edge of the storm have increased by up to 8 percent from 2009 to 2020. 9 00:01:09,984 --> 00:01:20,916 In contrast, the winds near the storm’s innermost region are moving significantly slower. 10 00:01:20,916 --> 00:01:32,259 With Hubble’s precise yearly readings, astronomers monitored the Great Red Spot’s increasing speeds. 11 00:01:32,259 --> 00:01:42,910 While this increase is a mystery… 12 00:01:42,910 --> 00:01:56,196 ...this important data helps us understand what powers the Great Red Spot and how it maintains energy. 13 00:01:56,196 --> 00:02:06,000 And as we better learn how Jupiter’s atmosphere works… 14 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:16,176 ...we’ll understand more about the atmospheres of other planets, including our own. 15 00:02:16,176 --> 00:02:20,306 [ MUSIC ]