After an incredible photograph of Neptune at the end of 2022, the James Webb telescope decided to reach another milestone. For the occasion, he brings us an incredible postcard of Uranus, a mysterious ice giant lurking in the shadows of the solar system. However, he managed not only to capture its impressive surface, but also 11 of the 13 rings that surround it.
Using the powerful NIRCam camera on James Webb, infrared light from Uranus was detected that would not otherwise be visible to researchers. Thus, data from two filters at 1.4 and 3.0 µm were revealed. The first is represented in the image in blue, and the second in orange..
In the image, we see a glow in the area that points to the Sun. This region is known as the polar cap and is unique to Uranus.. In addition, it appears only when this region of the planet is in contact with the summer sun, and then disappears in the fall. James Webb managed to discover new information from this mysterious area. It had never been seen so clearly before, despite being photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope and also by the Keck Observatory.
In addition, the James Webb Telescope allowed us to see bright clouds, which researchers believe are typical infrared observations of Uranus. As far as is known these formations will be associated with storms that hit the planet frozen.
11 of Uranus’ 13 rings can be seen in James Webb’s new images
Although Uranus has 13 rings, James Webb’s new image gives us an idea of 11. Nine of them are the main ones, and two more internal ones are the most scattered and dusty.. On the contrary, those farthest away are so bright that it seems that their light combines and forms the same structure.
For their part, researchers hope James Webb will let me reveal the details the other two rings of the planet.
James Webb also discovered 27 known satellites of the planet. However, most of them are so small that they cannot be seen in the catch. Six of them, the brightest, are visible in a panoramic image published by POT. According to the agency, this is just the tip of the iceberg of what James Webb is able to learn about the impressive frozen planet.
Source: Hiper Textual
