Jupiter

The fifth planet from the Sun, and the most massive in our solar system, has a long history surprising scientists—all the way back to 1610 when Galileo Galilei found the first moons beyond Earth. That discovery changed the way we see the universe. Though once big enough to swallow three Earths with room to spare, Jupiter’s Great Red Spot has been shrinking for a century and a half. Nobody is sure how long the storm will continue to contract or whether it will disappear altogether. A new study suggests that it hasn’t all been downhill, though. The storm seems to have increased in area at least once along the way, and it’s growing taller as it gets smaller.

“Jupiter.” NASA, NASA, 29 Mar. 2018, solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/jupiter/overview/.