2023-07-03 04:00:08
In a mesmerizing infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Saturn’s iconic rings appear to glow with supernatural light, revealing unexpected features of the planet’s atmosphere. planet géante.
Crédit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Matt Tiscareno (SETI Institute), Matt Hedman (University of Idaho), Maryame El Moutamid (Cornell University), Mark Showalter (SETI Institute), Leigh Fletcher (University of Leicester), Heidi Hammel (AURA), J. DePasquale (STScI)
This image is the result of an observation program designed to test the ability of the telescope to detect faint moons around Saturn and its bright rings. The newly discovered moons might help scientists better understand Saturn’s current system and its past.
The image is particularly intriguing because it doesn’t show Saturn’s familiar striped patterns. Indeed, methane, present in abundance in the high atmosphere of the planet, absorbs almost all the light from the Sun at this wavelength infrared specific (3.23 microns), thus blocking the view of the main clouds.
Instead, Saturn appears dark, revealing diffuse, dark structures in the planet’s northern hemisphere. Saturn’s rings, on the other hand, contain no methane, which is why they stand out so brightly in this infrared image.
Image of Saturn and some of its moons, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam instrument on June 25, 2023.
Crédit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Matt Tiscareno (SETI Institute), Matt Hedman (University of Idaho), Maryame El Moutamid (Cornell University), Mark Showalter (SETI Institute), Leigh Fletcher (University of Leicester), Heidi Hammel (AURA), J. DePasquale (STScI)
Matthew Tiscareno, Principal Investigator at theInstitut SETI, expresses its satisfaction with the quality of the image obtained, which confirms the success of the observation program. He hopes thedata analysis collected will lead to new discoveries.
This exceptional snapshot of Saturn gives a glimpse of what the JWST might reveal regarding the planet in the years to come. In particular, scientists hope to identify new structures in the rings and perhaps even new moons of Saturn.
A closer look at Saturn’s rings reveals the dark C ring, the bright B ring, the thin, dark Cassini Division, and the A ring of brightness middle with the obscure Encke Gap near its outer edge. We also observe theF-ring, thin and distant. The shadows the rings cast on the planet create intriguing visual effects.
It is currently summer in Saturn’s northern hemisphere, while the southern hemisphere is emerging from winter darkness. However, the North Pole appears abnormally dark, possibly due to a seasonal process affecting polar aerosols. A slight brightness at the edge of Saturn’s disk might be due to the fluorescence methane at high altitude or the emission of the trihydrogen ion (H3+) from theionosphere. Spectroscopic data from the JWST might help confirm these hypotheses.
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