Neptune's Faint Rings Captured In Detail For First Time By James Webb Telescope

For the first time ever, we have the clearest view of Neptune's faint rings; all thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope.

Neptune is the eighth planet in our solar system and the farthest in our solar system. Considered the densest giant planet in our solar system, Neptune is about 17 times the mass of Earth, and slightly more massive than Uranus.

NASA/ESA

Neptune's beauty remains unparalleled

The pictures released on Wednesday show Webb's view of Neptune as seen in July. The new image is starkly sharper and more detailed than the ones taken by Hubble last year or the Voyager 2 in 1989. Neptune had never been observed in infrared before.

In this new image, one can also see seven of Neptune's 14 known moons. In just less than a year, James Webb has given us detailed images of Jupiter, and peeks into far-off galaxies that formed right after the Big Bang.

NASA/ESA

Also read: Closer To Home: James Webb Telescope Stuns With New Images Of Jupiter, Its Moons

¡°It has been three decades since we last saw these faint, dusty rings, and this is the first time we¡¯ve seen them in the infrared,¡± said Heidi Hammel, a Neptune expert and interdisciplinary scientist for Webb telescope. The image was only possible because of Webb's stable and precise quality of pictures.

Neptune was first seen by NASA's Voyager 2 in 1989. Since then, no spacecraft has been to the blue planet; making the new image even more exciting. "Webb¡¯s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) images objects in the near-infrared range from 0.6 to 5 microns, so Neptune does not appear blue to Webb," NASA wrote.

NASA/ESA

Also read: James Webb Space Telescope Finds Alien Planet With Clouds Made Of Sand-Like Grains

James Webb Space Telescope is the world's biggest and most powerful telescope, situated about 1.6 million kilometres from Earth. It was launched in December, 2021 and is largely considered the scientific successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Did you know about Neptune's beautiful faint rings? Let us know what you think of this mesmerising image by James Webb Space Telescope in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Merzdorf, J. (2022, September 21). New Webb Image Captures Clearest View of Neptune¡¯s Rings in Decades. NASA. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/new-webb-image-captures-clearest-view-of-neptune-s-rings-in-decades/

Neptune and rings shine in photos from new space telescope. (2022, September 21). AP NEWS. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://apnews.com/article/astronomy-science-neptune-galaxies-ee9c12ffa7be4a35e54396134354a9be