Segment V4.4: Jupiter Red Spot

(Related to Textbook Section 4.1.4 - Streamlines, Streaklines, and Pathlines)

Flow visualization experiments can be quite helpful in understanding various flow phenomena. One common visualization technique involves the observation of a tracer material (such as dye or smoke) that has been injected into the flow field.

The giant red spot on Jupiter (approximately 7 times longer than the diameter of the Earth) is a huge vortex ("swirl") in the atmosphere of Jupiter, similar in some ways to a hurricane on Earth. The turbulent, eddying flow in Jupiter's atmosphere is made visible by the color contrast in the atmospheric material.