Another red spot, by Jove
By Ron Cowen
Attention, sky watchers. Jupiter has a second red spot.
Formally called Oval BA, it’s about half the length of Jupiter’s famous Great Red Spot, and nearly the same color. Oval BA derives from a trio of white storms discovered in the 1930s, which merged to form a single storm center in 2000.
The oval stayed white until December 2005, when it became brown. By February, Oval BA had turned red, reports amateur astronomer Christopher Go of Cebu, the Philippines. Scientists don’t know whether its scarlet tinge will be permanent.