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Updated: Oct 15, 2025

Bringing the Visible Universe into Focus with Robo-AO
Published on: February 12, 2013
The depth of Jupiter's Great Red Spot constrained by Juno gravity overflights
Marzia Parisi1, Yohai Kaspi2, Eli Galanti2
1Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.
Abstract:
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot (GRS) is the largest atmospheric vortex in the Solar System and has been observed for at least two centuries. It has been unclear how deep the vortex extends beneath its visible cloud tops. We examined the gravity signature of the GRS using data from 12 encounters of the Juno spacecraft with the planet, including two direct overflights of the vortex. Localized density anomalies due to the presence of the GRS caused a shift in the spacecraft line-of-sight velocity. Using two different approaches to infer the GRS depth, which yielded consistent results, we conclude that the GRS is contained within the upper 500 kilometers of Jupiter’s atmosphere.
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