Big Mystery: Jupiter Loses a Stripe

[gigabite]

Lost: A giant belt of brown clouds big enough to swallow Earth twenty times over. If found, please return to Jupiter.

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/sc ... oststripe/

[Aslkahuna]

Actually, the mystery is more like why than the fact that is happened since the SEB has pulled that trick many times before. It's primarily now that professionals are paying more attention to the Planets that amateur astronomers have been observing routinely for 200+ years. I believe that the first documented SEB disappearance followed by a SEB disturbance occurred in the 19th Century. The GRS has been observed since 1680. What will happen next is that a brilliant white spot will appear in the SEZ (South Equatorial Zone which is what it's called when the SEB is absent). Followed by an outburst of white and dark spots spreading out until the belt reforms. In the meantime the Great Red Spot will fade and become an embayment in the new SEB called the Red Spot Hollow.

Steve

[WeatherLovingDoc]

Cool. Nice information, thanks to you both. I sent a link to my teen son, who just found dad's fairly decent, tripod telescope and hunts his dad down to learn the sky. Looks like Jupiter is best seen in the early morning hours.

[Aslkahuna]

Reports on http://www.skyandtelescope.com and http://www.spaceweather.com indicate that the anticipated SEB Disturbance leading to the revival of Jupiter's South Equatorial Belt has begun.

Steve