This image of Jupiter's white ovals BC and DE was taken by the Galileo spacecraft
Click on image for full size
JPL/NASA
The Appearance of the White Ovals
Of the 3 famous white ovals, BC is the largest, and has always been to the right of DE. FA was to the right of both of them. When they were
born, in 1939, the ovals were elongated; BC and DE stretched 98,000 km. But they shrank, and by 1956 each oval stretched only 24,500 km. The white ovals gradually drift along, pretty close to the position in which they were born, but over time, FA has traveled faster than either BC or DE. By 1987, FA was almost on the opposite side of Jupiter from where the others are found.
In this picture, DE is on the left, and BC is on the right. DE and BC spin in the counter-clockwise direction. In the middle is a balloon shaped feature which is spins in the other direction. The balloon shape which the middle feature currently has is different from the shape it had when the Voyager spacecraft visited Jupiter in 1979. When Voyager visited in 1979 the middle feature was irregular, but still more rounded than it is today. Other white ovals in the vicinity are called WO1, WO2, and WO3. WO2 and WO3 are shown in the picture.
Over time these three have changed their appearance many times, as well as jostling each other for position, and merging with each other. Scientists study the changing appearance of the white ovals in order to understand more about the weather of Jupiter, which very different from the weather of the Earth.
You might also be interested in:
The giant planets have definitely changed since their formation. But how much remains to be seen. Most of the original air of the giant planets remains in place. (The earth-like planets lost most of their
...moreThe mesosphere of Jupiter is a region of balance between warming and cooling. That essentially means that nothing happens there. Except for diffusion, the atmosphere is still. Upper reaches of the atmosphere,
...moreAs on Earth, the atmosphere of Jupiter consists of a troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. The troposphere is the region where the visible clouds are to be found. The stratosphere, as
...moreThe stratosphere of Jupiter is a region of warming as determined by infrared measurements of methane (CH4) in the region. Like the troposphere, the stratosphere is warmed by the sun, warmed by Jupiter's
...moreThe troposphere of Jupiter is where the clouds are. Clouds form in regions of strong atmospheric motion, when condensation takes place. The troposphere is the region rapidly stirred by vertical motions.
...moreOn Jupiter, the winds in the belts and zones blow first in one direction, then in the opposite direction. Wind blows east in a belt, and west in a zone. The clouds rise up in a belt, and drop down in a
...moreThe striped cloud bands on Jupiter are certainly not as straight as they appear to be in this picture! The picture shows that the striped pattern is divided into belts and zones. The belts and zones of
...more