Jupiter: Home to Monstrous Hurricanes

Gas giants, like Jupiter, host storms that dwarf any that occur on Earth.

The Great Red Spot, a hurricane larger than Earth, is the most famous.

First observed in 1831, it could hold two to three Earth-sized planets.

Its winds whip around at 400 miles per hour, more than twice the speed of the most powerful hurricanes on Earth.

In addition to the Great Red Spot, Jupiter also features several smaller spots, which are also storms that are only slightly larger than Earth.

Scientists believe that these storms last longer than on Earth because they are driven by Jupiter's internal heat rather than solar energy from the Sun.

Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere is a mesmerizing and terrifying spectacle, providing us with an insight into the atmospheric dynamics of a gas giant..