more short-lived than the Great Red; several, however, have been going for decades.
    Seen here is only the uppermost portion of the Jovian atmosphere, not the planet’s surface. Actually, Jupiter does not have a “surface” as Earth does. The Earth is a nearly spherical globe of liquid and solid material, the top, solid layer of which we call its surface. The Earth’s surface is surrounded by a thin, gaseous atmosphere. Jupiter, on the other hand, consists mostly of gas, ice particles, fluids, and a relatively small solid core of heavier elements. Although Jupiter’s core is 10 to 15 times larger than the Earth’s, it represents less than 5 percent of the planet’s overall mass.