Abstract
This report summarizes changes in Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) on the multi-decade time scale. The mean shrinkage rates for 1960-2016 are 0.21 degrees/year (east-west) and 0.52 degrees/year (north-south). The east-west shrinkage rate is much higher than the corresponding value for Oval BA. Between 1878 and 2026, the GRS area shrunk by over a factor of four with a mean annual shrinkage rate of 1.0 %. The GRS quotient (east-west length in degrees longitude divided by north-south length in degrees latitude) has decreased. This is consistent with the GRS becoming more circular with time. This is different than Oval BA, which has not shown a significant change in shape since 2000.
Acknowledgements
The writer is grateful to library staff and other staff members at Gordon State College for their support. Some books used in this study are from the Charles "Chick" Capen library.
Recommended Citation
Schmude, Richard W. Jr.
(2026)
"Shrinkage of Jupiter's Great Red Spot,"
Georgia Journal of Science, Vol. 84, No. 2, Article 6.
Available at:
https://journal.georgiaacademyofscience.org/gjs/vol84/iss2/6