Jupiter's Great Red Spot super-storm is dying

One of Jupiter's most iconic features is slowly disappearing

One of Jupiter's most recognisable features, the Great Red Spot, is getting smaller.

The Great Red Spot is a huge storm in Jupiter's atmosphere and was first spotted 300 years ago.

It is approximately 1.3 times as wide as Earth according to Nasa, over 40,000km wide and produces winds travelling up to a staggering 270 to 425 miles per hour.

However, the spot has been slowly shrinking and scientists believe it could vanish forever within the next 20 years.

Amateur astronomers have identified what they describe as "blades" or "flakes" spiralling out from the Great Red Spot.

The reason for this is currently unknown, but some have suggested that it could be a result of the storm's gradual decline.

Dr John Rogers, who is the Jupiter Section Director at the British Astronomical Association, says that the flaking has been taking place for the last four to five years and believes it could be the result of smaller storms coming in from the east via a jet stream.

He, along with other Jupiter enthusiasts, hope that Nasa's Juno spacecraft will soon reveal what exactly is happening on the solar system's largest planet.