NASA’s James Space Webb Telescope (JWST) continues to dazzle with another stunning image of Saturn’s spectacular rings. The image was captured by Webb on June 25, 2023, and is part of the observatory’s first infrared observations of a mammoth-ringed planet.
JWST Used to capture images of objects in space at different wavelengths and with higher resolution than any other telescope in space or on Earth. Among the most recent images released from NASA, Webb offers an image Sat
Methane gas absorbs much of the sunlight hitting the atmosphere, making the planet appear very dark. However, the icy rings appear brighter, highlighting the planet’s three moons visible to the left of the ringed planet.
This image was taken as part of NASA’s Web Guaranteed Time Observation Project 1247. The mission of the project is to search for faint moons around Saturn and its bright rings. According to a recent NASA blog post, scientists hope to find newly discovered moons that will help piece together a complete picture of Saturn’s current structure and its past.
Along with Saturn’s many moons, it also provided clear details within the planet’s ring system, giving scientists an easter egg when searching for possible moons orbiting Saturn – Dione, Enceladus, and Tethys. In deeper images not shared by NASA, the team can probe deeper into some of the planet’s fainter rings, including the G ring and the wider E ring, not visible in the shared image.
JWST is part of a long history of NASA space telescopes that have spent decades observing Saturn’s rings and atmosphere. NASA says Webb’s latest observations Sat Just a „hint” at what it’s capable of adding to the ringed planet’s story.