2023-04-20 02:30:30
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured this image of Uranus, including its rings. Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, has 13 rings, 11 of which are visible in this image. It is divided into a main ring and a round ring, and each ring is named with a Greek letter and number. It was even fainter in the images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in November 2014 and November 2022.
Uranus is one of the strangest planets in the solar system. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), more than 80% of the mass is water, methane, and ammonia ice, which surrounds a rocky core. Although the sky is clouded, it is benign compared to the gas giant Jupiter. It is larger in diameter and less massive than Neptune, another giant icy planet.
In addition to its rings, Uranus is characterized by an extreme tilt relative to the plane of its orbit in the solar system, and its north pole is currently facing the sun. It also has 27 satellites.
The white area covering the right side of Uranus is a polar cap that appears when direct sunlight hits the North Pole in summer. Since the polar cap will touch Earth in 2028, it may be a golden opportunity for the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope to photograph the details of this structure.
The image released this time was taken on February 6, 2023 with a 12-minute exposure. At this time, Uranus and Earth were separated by 2.9 billion km. The image, which captures a wider range, also shows six satellites and a galaxy in the background.
As noted, the names of the satellites are Pac, Ariel, Miranda, Umbriel, Tatania, and Obelon. Usually, this last name is derived from Greek and Roman mythology, but in the case of Uranus, it is unique that it is named after characters in William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope’s works. The composition of the satellite is thought to be half water ice and half rock, but not much is known about the satellite.
The James Webb Space Telescope plans to conduct more observations of Uranus. Related information this placecan be found in
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