[1] Brief Report on the new NTrZ outbreak. June 9th, 2009.

A notable new spot has appeared on Jupiter, in the N. Tropical Zone, due N of the GRS.  It was first imaged by Sadegh Ghomizadeh (Iran) on June 2, and is remarkably dark and compact in subsequent images by him and others (attached). It arose when a turbulent bright rift interacted with a dark feature, probably a barge, in the NEB in late May.  Similar spots have occasionally appeared in the NTropZ in the same way in previous years, and sometimes initiated a new NEB broadening event (e.g. in 1993). The NEB is now ready for a new broadening event (the last was in 2004), and this could be the start of it. If so, it could develop rapidly from this spot (as in 1993), or more slowly at multiple longitudes (as in 2000).  So, it's well worth attending to this spot (with hi-res and multispectral imaging if possible).
___________

John Rogers

BAA Jupiter Section Director

FOOTNOTE:  The new, very dark spot was recorded emerging on May 31 by E. Morales Rivera, H. Einaga, and other observers posted on the ALPO-Japan web site, and on June 1 by C. Pellier. These images have been inserted into the panel posted  below.

Click for full size image.