The Abyss: Jupiter’s Black Spot

This photo of the surface of Jupiter shows a black spot, informally called “The Abyss”. This may be a dark cloud or a deep hole, but no one’s sure about it yet.

Surrounding cloud patterns show the Abyss to be at the center of a vortex. Since dark features on Jupiter's atmosphere tend to run deeper than light features, the Abyss may really be the deep hole that it appears -- but without more evidence that remains conjecture. The Abyss is surrounded by a complex of meandering clouds and other swirling storm systems, some of which are topped by light colored, high-altitude clouds.

Image Credit: NASA, Juno, SwRI, MSSS; Processing & License: Gerald Eichstädt & Sean Doran


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