JWST has captured an astonishing view of Neptune and its rings

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A caller representation from the James Webb Space Telescope shows 8 of Neptune’s moons and 4 of its rings – 2 of which haven’t been seen successful much than 30 years

Space 21 September 2022

By Leah Crane

Webb?s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) representation of Neptune, taken connected July 12, 2022, brings the planet?s rings into afloat absorption for the archetypal clip successful much than 3 decades. The astir salient features of Neptune?s ambiance successful this representation are a bid of agleam patches successful the planet?s confederate hemisphere that correspond high-altitude methane-ice clouds. More subtly, a bladed enactment of brightness circling the planet?s equator could beryllium a ocular signature of planetary atmospheric circulation that powers Neptune?s winds and storms. Additionally, for the archetypal time, Webb has teased retired a continuous set of high-latitude clouds surrounding a previously-known vortex astatine Neptune?s confederate pole.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has seen Neptune successful bonzer detail. The caller representation shows the planet’s rings, immoderate of its moons and bands of vigor astir its surface.

While Neptune appears blue successful disposable wavelengths owed to methane state successful its atmosphere, that methane absorbs the infrared airy that JWST observes, truthful the satellite appears a benignant of glowing achromatic colour erstwhile viewed successful these wavelengths. The brightest areas are icy clouds precocious successful the atmosphere, which bespeak sunlight earlier methane tin sorb it.

The caller representation besides shows Neptune’s 2 agleam rings, arsenic good of 2 of its fainter ones. The rings are afloat of dust, which makes them dimmer and harder to spot than shining, icy rings similar the ones that encircle Saturn.

“It has been 3 decades since we past saw these faint, dusty rings, and this is the archetypal clip we’ve seen them successful the infrared,” said JWST idiosyncratic Heidi Hammel successful a statement.

The past – and lone – clip we person seen the faintest of Neptune’s rings was erstwhile NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft flew past the satellite successful 1989.

Eight of Neptune’s moons are disposable successful the representation arsenic spots of light, the brightest being the planet’s largest moon, Triton. This satellite system is peculiarly unusual – Triton, for instance, orbits Neptune backwards – truthful further JWST observations of some Neptune and Triton are planned for aboriginal successful the year.

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