Posted in: 23/09/2022 – 11:16
NASA revealed the James Webb space image of Neptune, which is the clearest ever, as it accurately shows its rings, and the first in 33 years.
The most recent image of the planet and its rings was taken by Voyager 2 in 1989. “It’s been three decades since we last saw these faint, dusty rings, and this is the first time we’ve seen them with infrared technology,” one NASA scientist commented. Hubble also took another picture of the planet in 2021, but without the rings.
The new telescope removed all the flares caused by the sun’s reflection on the surface of Neptune and the light pollution surrounding it. In the previously captured images, Neptune appeared blue due to the presence of small amounts of methane in its atmosphere.
Image of Neptune by James Webb:
The comprehensive image taken by James Webb, showing the planet Neptune:
Let’s zoom out and get the big picture! Some quick Neptune facts:
???? Far out – 30x farther from the Sun than Earth
????️ Hello darkness my old friend – Neptune doesn’t get much Sun, so high noon would be like a dim twilight on Earth.
???? Ice giant. Brr. pic.twitter.com/HKlR5GnjQ2— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) September 21, 2022
Comparison of images taken of the planet Neptune:
In visible light, Neptune appears blue due to small amounts of methane gas in its atmosphere. Webb’s NIRCam instrument instead observed Neptune at near-infrared wavelengths, so Neptune doesn’t look so blue! pic.twitter.com/aZZa8B8x4f
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) September 21, 2022