Le télescope spatial James Webb (JWST/Webb) just photographed Neptune’s rings…and yes, Neptune has rings too. And they are absolutely gorgeous.
If you don’t yet know that Neptune has rings, we won’t blame you. They are quite close to its atmosphere and are therefore easily masked by the brightness of the gas giant. In fact, it’s the first time we’ve seen them since 1989, when Voyager 2 flew over the farthest planet in the solar system.
Neptune and his entourage as captured by the NIRCam du JWST. (NASA, ESA, ASC, STScI ; Joseph DePasquale (STScI))
According to Heidi Hammel, Neptune System Specialist and Interdisciplinary Scientist for JWST:
It’s been three decades since we’ve seen these faint, dusty rings, and this is the first time we’ve seen them in infrared.
If you’re also wondering why the photo of the ice giant taken by the JWST shows a ghostly-looking planet, it’s thanks to the infrared capabilities of the JWST. These images were taken by the near infrared camera (NIRCAM) from the telescope, and methane, with which Neptune’s atmosphere is filled, absorbs most of the infrared rays. What we actually see are the reflective clouds of ice surrounding the big ball of space ice.
Beyond Neptune’s rings, as well as a few fainter dust lanes that lie between them, the JWST was also able to spot seven of the planet’s 14 moons, and even spotted an intriguing bright spot at the pole. North of the planet.
Annotated version of Neptune and its surroundings as captured by JWST’s NIRCam. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI))
According to NASA, the James Webb Space Telescope should continue the study of Neptune and its main moon, Tritonlater this year.
Presented on the NASA website: New Webb Image Captures Clearest View of Neptune’s Rings in Decades.