The latest measurements of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot show that it’s shrinking.

It’s a swirling, massive gas and colored clouds that is bigger than the earth. It’s been around since the telescope was invented.

The latest measurements of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot show that it’s shrinking.

It isn’t really a spot on the planet’s surface, rather it’s a cyclone that’s been whipping around the atmosphere since at least 1831.

That’s when it was first officially recorded and back then it was estimated to be about 25 thousand miles in diameter.

Considering that it swirls at several hundred miles per hour, it’s a major force.

Why it’s getting smaller is anybody’s guess, but it’s been doing so since 1930.

The most recent size assessment puts it at just around 10 thousand miles across.

One and a third Earths would still fit inside, but the reduction is significant.

In fact, this is the smallest the cyclone has ever been.

The size decline has been happening at a rapid pace as of late, diminishing 500 miles in diameter each year since 2012.

Also changing is the shape of the spot.

Historically it’s been a definite oval, but the recent images show that it’s becoming to take on a more circular form.

Looking for answers, scientists have begun to examine the small eddies existing on the storm’s perimeter.