Red Spot

noun

, Astronomy.

1. a large, usually reddish gaseous vortex on the surface of Jupiter, about 14,000 by 30,000 km, that drifts about slowly as the planet rotates and has been observed for several hundred years.

Red Spot

noun

1. See Great Red Spot

Word History and Origins

Origin of Red Spot¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Jupiter's iconic Great Red Spot has persisted for at least 190 years and is likely a different spot from the one observed by the astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1665, a new study reports.

From Science Daily

The Great Red Spot is the largest known planetary vortex within the solar system, but its age has long been debated, and the mechanism that led to its formation has remained obscure.

From Science Daily

"From the measurements of sizes and movements, we deduced that it is highly unlikely that the current Great Red Spot was the 'Permanent Spot' observed by Cassini," said Agustín Sánchez-Lavega, a planetary scientist at the University of the Basque Country in Bilbao, Spain, who led this research.

From Science Daily

"The 'Permanent Spot' probably disappeared sometime between the mid-18th and 19th centuries, in which case we can now say that the longevity of the Red Spot exceeds 190 years."

From Science Daily

Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a massive atmospheric vortex, with a diameter approximately that of Earth's.

From Science Daily