Crash Course: The cyclone in Jupiter's Great Red Spot is speeding up

[View this email in your browser]( Your daily update from [Salon](. The giant cyclone in Jupiter's Great Red Spot is speeding up Unlike our ephemeral weather features on Earth, Jupiter's storms last years, even centuries. The gas giant's Great Red Spot, a swirling eddy around 10,000 miles wide, has existed for as long as humans have been observing Jupiter through telescopes — since 1665, meaning this storm has lasted at least 356 years. This ongoing storm in Jupiter's southern hemisphere consists of crimson-colored clouds spinning nearly 400 miles per hour in a counterclockwise loop. The storm has changed in shape and size since it was first observed in detail in the 1800s — and with recent technological advancements, scientists have been able to make more detailed observations about this strange storm's savage winds. Now, a recent analysis of data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) [Hubble Space Telescope revealed something peculiar about the Great Red Spot](. Specifically, the average wind speed within the outer boundaries of the storm (known as a high-speed ring) have increased about 8% over the last 11 years. For context, a typical tropical cyclone on Earth can be as wide as 1,240 miles; the storm that comprises the Great Red Spot is nearly 9,941 miles in width. Hurricane speeds on Earth max out at about 190 miles per hour, compared to 400 miles per hour on Jupiter. Unlike Earth hurricanes, the Great Red Spot appears like a wedding cake from the side thanks to its tiered higher clouds. "When I initially saw the results, I asked 'Does this make sense?' [No one has ever seen this before]( said Michael Wong of the University of California, Berkeley, who led the analysis published in Geophysical Research Letters. (Photo via Getty Images/Stocktrek Images) From spying to denying Britney sneakers, what two new films reveal about Spears' conservatorship This summer, revelations about Britney Spears' nearly 13-year-old conservatorship overseen by her father shocked the nation, mobilizing many to rally to #FreeBritney. Spears' devastating testimony before a Los Angeles judge came just months after the New York Times' bombshell documentary "Framing Britney Spears" forced many to reflect on how young, female pop stars and celebrities have been treated through the years. And [it turns out, that film only scratched the surface]( Salon's Kylie Cheung writes. With the recent release of the follow-up "Controlling Britney Spears" and Netflix's "Britney vs. Spears," even more light is now being shined on Spears' harrowing story of alleged exploitation and abuse. Both documentaries ultimately peel back the layers of what we've already heard about the alarming power over Spears. [Read more](. 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[Sign up]( to receive Crash Course. Democrats have the GOP playbook: They know how to fight back, but just won't do it At this point, we must confront the possibility and perhaps even probability that today's Democratic Party is fundamentally incapable of doing what is necessary to protect American democracy against the Republican-fascist movement, [Salon's Chauncey DeVega writes](. In boxing and other combat sports there is the truism that "styles make fights." Today's Democratic Party and its leaders may simply not possess the style that is required to defeat the resurgent and highly organized forces of the right. Another lesson may be drawn from boxing as well. Sometimes a once great fighter, perhaps on a subconscious level, wishes that the fight would just end. He is being pummeled by their adversary and convinces himself that being knocked to the canvas and left staring up at the lights will offers a form of dignified relief. I don't think that the Democratic Party has quite reached that point. But based on its leaders' unwillingness to fight back effectively against the Republican-fascist movement, I worry that sooner or later — and probably sooner — the decision to surrender and negotiate a form of "peace in our time" will come. [Read more](. 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An excerpt of the forthcoming book, "I'll Take Your Questions Now," by Melania Trump's former chief of staff and former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham reveals that Donald Trump's daughter and son-in-law wanted to join the royal meeting, in a serious breach of protocol, but were shut out when [they wouldn't fit into the helicopter](. "I finally figured out what was going on," Grisham writes. "Jared and Ivanka thought they were the royal family of the United States." (Photo via Getty Images) Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( Copyright © 2021 Salon.com, LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at Salon.com Our mailing address is: Salon.com, LLC 1000 N. West StreetWilmington, DE 19801 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? 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