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                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                  2022 January 9   
      
                 Hubble's Jupiter and the Shrinking Great Red Spot   
      Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, OPAL Program, STScI; Processing: Karol   
                                    Masztalerz   
      
      Explanation: What will become of Jupiter's Great Red Spot? Gas giant   
      Jupiter is the solar system's largest world with about 320 times the   
      mass of planet Earth. Jupiter is home to one of the largest and longest   
      lasting storm systems known, the Great Red Spot (GRS), visible to the   
      left. The GRS is so large it could swallow Earth, although it has been   
      shrinking. Comparison with historical notes indicate that the storm   
      spans only about one third of the exposed surface area it had 150 years   
      ago. NASA's Outer Planets Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program has been   
      monitoring the storm more recently using the Hubble Space Telescope.   
      The featured Hubble OPAL image shows Jupiter as it appeared in 2016,   
      processed in a way that makes red hues appear quite vibrant. Modern GRS   
      data indicate that the storm continues to constrict its surface area,   
      but is also becoming slightly taller, vertically. No one knows the   
      future of the GRS, including the possibility that if the shrinking   
      trend continues, the GRS might one day even do what smaller spots on   
      Jupiter have done -- disappear completely.   
      
      Tuesday over Zoom: APOD editor to present the Best APOD Space Images of   
                                       2021   
                      Tomorrow's picture: wagging comet tail   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
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