Science Saturday II: Meet Red Spot Jr.

Astronomers are tracking an emerging second red spot on Jupiter that is about one-half the diameter of the planet's trademark Great Red Spot but is growing rapidly.

The Hubble Space Telescope has taken the first detailed pictures of what some observers are calling Red Spot Jr.

Astronomers at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore said this was the first time scientists had witnessed the birth of one of these huge oval spots (at left in photo), presumably a convective phenomenon like a powerful thunderstorm. The Great Red Spot was already present when observers first looked with telescopes at the planet some 400 years ago.

Though Red Spot Jr. is half the size, the astronomers said it appeared in near-infrared images to be as bright in Jupiter's cloudy atmosphere as its large companion. They suggested that the new storm might rise higher above the main cloud deck than the older spot.

The photos made public this week by NASA, including the one above, do not represent the planet's true colors and their contrast has been enhanced. But the red spots, new and old, really are red.

For more info and photos, go here.