The Great Red Spot (GRS) features prominently in this image. The GRS was likely discovered by Giovanni Cassini in 1665. This spot was observed until 1713, but then there is an observational gap of 118 years before it was again observed on September 5, 1831, with some 60 observations by 1879.. Since 1879 it has been continuously observed.
There was a great deal of conjecture as to what the GRS was. We now know it is a massive, anticyclonic storm in Jupiter's atmosphere. If the early observations mentioned above are accurate, then it is a strom that has been raging for 357 years, with wind speeds as high as 432 km/h.
More recently, in this century, the spot appears to be shrinking, with reports of the clouds at the edge shredding into the atmosphere. However, many astronomers believe the Spot's size is just a reflection of total cloud cover in the area, and not the actual size of the vortex that is creating it. The cloud shredding is, similarly, not related to the Spot. If this is the case, the Spot will be with us for many more years.
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