Welcome to http://www.handsonuniverse.org/activities/Explorations/JupiterRotation

Look for the Red Spot!

Open the image of jup341jb.fts.  Look for the 'red spot'.  In this image it appears as a light gray oval shape.  This is a huge storm on Jupiter that people have seen through telescopes for more than 300 years!  How big does this storm seem as compared to Jupiter itself?

Do you see evidence of rotation? 

October 11th, 1998  3:41... 4:08... 4:11... Universal Time

These images were taken for Jackie Barge from Reilly School in Chicago at University of Chicago's Yerkes Observatory with the 24 inch reflector telescope, an SBIG ST-7 CCD camera and a V filter for .11 seconds. 

Notice the changing position of features like the 'red spot'.  Do you see evidence of rotation?  If so, which way?  Explain your ideas to a friend or draw or write about your ideas.  How do you think Jupiter looked an hour before the first image here?  How about two hours after the last image?  Will you always see the 'red spot'?

HOU Educators: Download these .fts Jupiter images.

01/09/2000

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