Elmer Reese's pre-discovery of the internal circulation of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter
Abstract
The nature of the famous Great Red Spot on Jupiter was long the subject of speculation. Finally, Bradford A. Smith and Elmer J. Reese determined from photographs at the New Mexico State University Observatory that it is a vortex at the visible surface of Jupiter, as revealed by the motions of spots observed on its outer edges in 1966 and 1967. These spots demonstrated a counterclockwise rotation in the South Hemisphere of Jupiter, taking 9 to 12 days to make one revolution around the true perimeter of the Red Spot.
- Publication:
-
Journal of the British Astronomical Association
- Pub Date:
- June 2004
- Bibcode:
- 2004JBAA..114..140H