NASA's James Webb Telescope captured Uranus' rings like never before. Hypnotic and mysterious, the new photograph of the planet gives an account of its atmospheric characteristics.
Moons, storms, rings, and even a "seasonal" polar cap. Uranus is an inexhaustible source of space material.
The new image released by NASA is an enlarged version of one published in the first half of the year, which also features additional coverage of wavelengths to get a more detailed view, the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA report in their statements.
Because of its "exquisite sensitivity," Webb captured Uranus' faint inner and outer rings, including the elusive Zeta ring, the extremely faint and fuzzy ring closest to the planet.
"Thanks to Webb's unparalleled infrared resolution and sensitivity, astronomers can now observe Uranus and its unique features with unprecedented clarity. These details, especially those of the Zeta ring, will be very valuable for planning future missions to Uranus," said ESA and NASA.
The image, taken by the NIRCam camera, also shows 9 of the planet's 27 moons. They are the blue dots that surround her rings (clockwise, starting with the two: Rosalind, Puck, Belinda, Desdemona, Cressida, Bianca, Portia, Juliet, and Perdita).
The image enlarges a two-color version released earlier this year. Photo: EFE
At visible wavelengths, Uranus appears as a placid, solid blue ball, but at infrared wavelengths Webb is revealing "a strange and dynamic icy world full of exciting atmospheric features."
One of the most striking is the planet's northern polar cap, the statement added.
Several bright storms can also be seen near and below the southern edge of the polar ice cap. Their number, frequency, and place in Uranus' atmosphere could be due to a combination of seasonal and meteorological effects.
Uranus has the most extreme seasons in the Solar System. For nearly a quarter of each Uranian year, the sun shines over one pole, plunging the other half of the planet into a dark 21-year-long winter.
The infrared wavelengths and sensitivity of the James Webb telescope revealed Uranus' spectacular "invisible rings."
Source: EFE