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Neptune's rings as we've never seen them: The James Webb Telescope delivers spectacular images

2022-09-23 18:10:30Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Neptune's rings as we've never seen them: The James Webb Telescope
The rings of Neptune

That Neptune had rings was known, they were also observed in 1989 by the Voyager 2 probe, but they had never been seen so well from Earth.

Now, the James Webb Space Telescope has captured the newest image of Neptune and its stunning rings: "It's just absolutely incredible," writes the space agency NASA.

The famed James Webb Telescope has turned its gaze from the deep universe to our Solar System, capturing an image of a bright Neptune and its delicate rings in detail not seen in decades, NASA said Wednesday.

Neptune's rings as we've never seen them: The James Webb Telescope

"This is not a star. It's Neptune's large and unusual moon – Moon Triton! Because Triton is covered in frozen, condensed nitrogen – practically ice – it reflects 70% of the sunlight that hits it – making it appear too bright for the Webb telescope. 6 of Neptune's other moons (labeled) are also seen here," NASA wrote in its report.

The last time astronomers had such a clear view of the farthest planet from the sun was when NASA's Voyager 2 became the first and only spacecraft to fly by the ice giant for just a few hours in 1989.

Neptune's rings as we've never seen them: The James Webb Telescope

Now Webb's unprecedented infrared imaging capability has provided a new picture of Neptune's atmosphere, said Mark McCaughrean, a senior adviser for science and exploration at the European Space Agency.

The telescope "removes all that glare and background" so that "we can start to tease out the atmospheric composition" of the planet, McCaughrean, who has worked on the Webb project for more than 20 years, told AFP.

Neptune appears deep blue in previous images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope because of the methane in its atmosphere. However, infrared wavelengths captured by Webb's primary imager NIRCam show the planet as a silvery-white color, with icy clouds stretching across the surface.

Neptune's rings as we've never seen them: The James Webb Telescope

"The rings are more reflective under infrared light," McCaughrean said, "so they're much easier to see."

The image also shows an "intriguing glow" near Neptune's tip, NASA said. Because the planet is tilted away from Earth and takes 164 years to orbit the Sun, astronomers have yet to get a good look at its north pole.

Webb also observed 7 of Neptune's 14 known moons.

As astronomers explore the universe looking for other planets like our own, they have discovered that ice giants like Neptune and Uranus are the most common in the Milky Way.

As of July, Webb is the most powerful space telescope ever built, and has already produced a range of previously unconsidered data.

Research based on his observations of Neptune and Triton is expected next year.

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