Great White Spot

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/great-white-spot

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the planet?Saturn
2. What is the phenomenon type?Episodic, large-scale atmospheric storms
3. What is the Great White Spot on Saturn?The Great White Spot is a huge white storm that appears in Saturn’s upper atmosphere, like a giant snowstorm, and it can be seen from Earth with telescopes.
4. Why does the Great White Spot look so bright?The storm’s clouds are bright white, which makes them stand out against Saturn’s usual banded colors, so the spot looks very bright.

Atmospheric Dynamics: The study of the movement and behavior of gases in a planet's atmosphere.
Acetylene: A simple hydrocarbon gas (C2H2) found in planetary atmospheres.
Phosphine: A gas (PH3) that can indicate deep atmospheric upwelling on gas giants.
Ethylene: A simple hydrocarbon gas (C2H4) produced during energetic atmospheric events.