Stunning images of Neptune's delicate rings captured by James Webb
An ‘intriguing brightness’ near the top and seven of its known 14 moons were captured by the James Webb telescope in one of the most detailed images of Neptune that takes 164 years to orbit the Sun
The James Webb Space Telescope has turned its gaze away from the deep universe towards our home solar system, capturing an image of a luminous Neptune and its delicate, dusty rings in detail not seen in decades, NASA said on September 21. (Image: Space Telescope Science Institut / ESA/WEBB / AFP)
Webb captured the clearest view of this distant planet's rings in more than 30 years but its cameras reveal the ice giant in a whole new light. The near-infrared wavelengths captured by Webb's primary imager NIRCam shows the planet as a greyish white, with icy clouds streaking the surface. (Image: Twitter @NASAWebb)
The last time astronomers had such a clear view of the farthest planet from the Sun was when NASA's Voyager 2 became the first and only space probe to fly past the ice giant for just a few hours in 1989. (Image: Twitter @NASAWebb)
The image also shows an "intriguing brightness" near the top of Neptune, NASA said in a statement. Because the planet is tilted away from Earth and takes 164 years to orbit the Sun, astronomers have not yet had a good look at its north pole. Webb also spotted seven of Neptune's 14 known moons. (Image: Space Telescope Science Institut / ESA/WEBB / AFP) (With inputs from agencies)
