JWST’s observations of the ringed planet, taken on June 25, 2023, have been cleaned and processed, giving us a better view of Saturn’s famous rings, glowing golden in the dark.
In contrast, Saturn’s disk is completely dark in the new image, lacking its distinctive cloud bands, and appears relatively dark brown in color.
This is because of the wavelengths at which JWST sees the universe – near and mid-infrared. These wavelengths of light are usually invisible to the naked human eye, but they can reveal a lot.
For example, thermal emission—that is, associated with heat—is dominated by infrared wavelengths. When trying to figure out what’s going on inside a planet shrouded in thick, opaque clouds, reading its temperature is a valuable way to do it.
Infrared radiation is emitted by certain elements and chemical processes. So looking at the planets of the Solar System at wavelengths outside the narrow range known by our vision can tell us a lot about what’s going on.
JWST observations include filters that dim the planet’s light while allowing light from the rings and moons to shine brightly. This allowed a team led by planetary scientist Lee Fletcher from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom to study Saturn’s rings and moons in more detail.
They hope to identify new ring systems around the gas giant, and possibly even new moons. The image shows Saturn’s three moons, Dione, Enceladus, and Tethys, to the left of the planet. Although the planet’s disk is dim, it also reveals information about Saturn’s seasonal changes.
The Northern Hemisphere is nearing the end of its 7-year summer, but the polar region remains dark. Meanwhile, the atmosphere around the edges of the disk appears brighter, and this may be the result of methane luminescence, hydrogen trifluorescence, or both.
Thursday
Jupiter was the first of the giant planets to receive JWST analysis, with images released in August last year.
The stunning details found in the planet’s turbulent clouds and storms aren’t entirely surprising, but we also have to deal with some features we rarely see: the permanent auroras that twinkle at Jupiter’s poles, invisible at wavelengths of light, and Jupiter’s faint rings.
We saw two of the planet’s smaller and lesser-known moons, Amalthea and Atrastia, and the faint specks of distant galaxies in the background.
“This image summarizes the science of the Jupiter System Project, which studies Jupiter’s dynamics and chemistry, its rings and its satellite structure,” said Thierry Faucher, an astronomer at the Paris Observatory in France.
Neptune
Observations of Neptune will arrive in late 2022. Because Neptune is so far away, scientists tend to ignore it a bit. If there are any images taken by Voyager 2 in 1989, you’re probably used to seeing them. JWST’s observations have given us a new look at the ice giant’s delicate rings for the first time in more than 30 years.
It also revealed seven of Neptune’s 14 known moons and bright spots in its atmosphere. Most of this activity is storm activity, but if you look closely, you’ll see a bright band circling the planet’s equator. Scientists say this has never been seen before and could be a sign of the circulation of Neptune’s global atmosphere.
Uranus
JWST’s observations, released at NESAM 2023, don’t solve its mysteries, but they do reveal 11 of the 13 structures of Uranus’ spectacular ring system, and the inexplicable brightness of the atmosphere above the planet’s polar cap.
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