Science: Explaining a Jovian Mystery

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Disturbing Currents. Furthermore, if anything disturbed the buoyancy of the floating hydrogen mass—atmospheric currents, for example—it might begin to sink. That would enlarge the area of the protected zone and make the Red Spot appear even bigger. If something made the solid rise, however, the spot would grow smaller. In fact, pieces of solid hydrogen could begin to break off (as a result of the reduced pressure at the higher elevations), and heat trapped under the hydrogen mass might bubble up. As it escaped, enough clouds would eventually be formed in the upper atmosphere to obscure the Red Spot. Not for long, though. As soon as the disturbing atmospheric currents diminished, the remaining solid hydrogen would begin to sink again. As it dropped to levels of higher pressure, more solid material would be formed; the hydrogen mass would grow, returning the Red Spot to its old prominence.

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