It's that time of the year again, when ghouls and goblins crawl out of the woodwork and we look for creepy references in just about everything. In the spirit of this spooky tradition, the Hubble Space Telescope recently captured an image of Jupiter showing off what could be its scary costume this year: a gigantic Cyclops eye.
Of course, this isn't a rare occurrence for the planet and happens on a regular basis when one of Jupiter's moons, Ganymede, passes in front of the planet.
Although Hubble took the photo earlier this year, in April, its release today coincides with Halloween.
The photo shows the illusion created by the shadow of Ganymede crossing Jupiter's Great Red Spot Storm. This is what creates the appearance of this "Cyclops eye."
Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a giant long-lived storm system on the planet and one of Jupiter's most visible features. Originally spotted nearly 400 years ago, it is massive, measuring 10,250 miles across, about twice the size of Earth. It moves across the planet as Jupiter rotates, with winds up to 300 miles per hour, but always remains at about a latitude of 22 degrees south.
Over the past few years, though, measurements show the storm shrinking. Although it is currently elliptical, astronomers estimate it could eventually become circular by 2040 and eventually get smaller and smaller until it disappears.
Whatever the case, the Great Red Spot remains one of Jupiter's most mysterious features. Jupiter has no land mass, so the storm should have dissipated quickly in Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere. But it's still there, swirling away, at least for now.
Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system and completes its orbit around Jupiter in about seven days. It is larger than the planet Mercury, but has about half of its mass. It is also the only moon in the solar system that has a magnetosphere. It's composition is mostly rock and water ice.
Jupiter, the fifth planet from the sun, is the largest planet in the solar system. It is also a gas giant planet composed of mostly hydrogen and helium. Jupiter has at least 67 moons, including Ganymede.
Photo Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center)
