If you were to look up in the sky tonight, chances are you may see the planet Jupiter. If you have a low powered telescope it is even possible that you might see the planet’s great red spot, or eye.

This jovian “superstorm” has been raging for at least 350 years.

The jupiter hurricane is so large that three earth’s could fit inside of it, making this storm the biggest weather phenomenon in our solar system.

Most hurricanes have a small area of extremely low pressure at their centers known as the eye. Jupiter’s eye is much larger than any hurricane on earth and has walls about three times taller.

Thousands of kilometers in diameter the jovian superstorm is so vast it would take one year travelling at average human technology speeds to travel all the way around it.

It’s outer bands stretch throughout jupiter’s southern hemisphere, with its eyewall located between jupiter’s equator and latitudes of about 60 degrees south.

What caused jupiter to have this never ending storm raging on its jovian face?

Little is known for sure, but scientists think it may have something to do with jupiter being a gas giant. Or perhaps the jovian superstorm exists because jupiter can’t regulate its internal heat as well as other planets such as earth.

Whatever the causes, this event is one of the most exciting things to look at in the night sky.

What name do you think we should call jupiter’s storm?

Scientists use names like

Jupiter’s Eye, The Great Red Spot, The GRS (Great red spot), Jupiter’s Maelstrom, and The Devil in the South

What do you think about jupiter having a super storm? What should we name it?