Earlier this year when Jupiter's great South Equatorial Belt (SEB) vanished, researchers urged amateur astronomers to be alert for its eventual return. The SEB had come and gone before, they noted, and the revival was something to behold. Alert: It might be happening now. After months of quiet in Jupiter's south equatorial zone, a white spot is rapidly forming where the SEB should be. Christopher Go of the Philippines took this picture on Nov. 9th:

Image
© Christopher Go
It might not look like much, but this is how a revival of the SEB begins--a small disturbance in the upper atmosphere heralds a sudden profusion of spots and swirls. Amid the confusion, Jupiter's vast brown stripe emerges.

The existence of this spot has reportedly been confirmed by astrophotographer Donald Parker of Coral Gables, Florida, and Go himself saw it again on Nov. 10th. "The 'SEB outbreak spot' is also prominent in ultraviolet and methane band filters," notes Go. "This spot should grow bigger in the coming days."

Experienced planetary photographers are encouraged to monitor Jupiter for further developments.