On the coincidence of the position of Mercury with the 90-day oscillation of Jupiter's red spot

Abstract

Recent observations have been utilized to investigate the proposed temporal connection between the 90-day oscillation of Jupiter's Red Spot and the inferior conjunction of Mercury. The oscillations appear to be synchronized with the inferior conjunction of a “mean Mercury” rather than the real Mercury implying that the period of oscillation of the Red Spot is constant. Although the probability of a synchronization due to chance is small, the failure of the oscillation to coincide with the motion of the real Mercury offers a strong argument against a physical connection between the two phenomena.