Rings surrounding Uranus Stunning ice giant photo taken by the James Webb Space Telescope

 A stunning image of Uranus, taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), reveals the ice giant's ring system, brightest moons, and dynamic atmosphere in remarkable detail.

 

The latest discovery, made on February 6, comes in the wake of a magnificent photo of Neptune, the second ice giant in the solar system, that JWST recently took.

 

11 of the planet's 13 known rings are visible in the most recent photograph of Uranus, some of which are so bright that they overlap significantly. The fact that JWST's Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) equipment is sensitive enough to have recorded the innermost two of Uranus' hazy rings, however, will truly surprise astronomers.

A full-sized wide shot of Uranus captured by the James Webb Space Telescope on Feb. 6, 2023 shows six of the planet's 27 known moons. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. DePasquale (STScI))

Only two other astronomical observers have caught a glimpse of these dim rings: the Voyager 2 spacecraft, which passed Uranus in 1986, and more recently, the Keck Observatory's cutting-edge adaptive optics.

 

During its 1986 visit, Voyager 2's images of Uranus revealed little more than a lifeless blue rock devoid any distinguishing markings. This most recent JWST image is a sharp contrast, depicting a dynamic and altering globe.

The blue colouring and orange highlights in the JWST image were created by merging information from two filters. In the representative-color image, Uranus appears as a light blue snowball, with a dense ice fluid of water, methane, and ammonia circling it.

A zoomed-in image of Uranus as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope on Feb. 6, 2023. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. DePasquale (STScI))

The ice giant Uranus rotates on its side in the solar system, with its orbit tilted at an angle of around 90 degrees to that of the sun. Due to this tilt, Uranus experiences severe seasons, with each pole experiencing long stretches of continuous sunlight followed by an equal swath of darkness.

 

At Uranus' northern pole, it is currently spring. This can be seen in the image, where the ice cap on the right side of the ice giant, which is facing the sun, brightens. This feature of the polar cap is new to science; it was not visible in even the most technologically advanced pictures taken by Keck.

A bright cloud with some fainter extended features is present at the polar cap's edge. This also features a second, extremely brilliant cloud at Uranus' left limb. According to JWST team members, clouds like these are normal for Uranus and can be observed at infrared wavelengths. It is thought that they are linked to storm activity over the ice giant. Beginning in 2028, Uranus' northern pole will enjoy its summertime.

 

The south pole of Uranus, which is now facing away from the sun and out of view in the image, is located on the planet's dark side and is obscured by the inky darkness of space.

An annotated version of an image of Uranus captured by the James Webb Space Telescope on Feb. 6, 2023, showing its bright polar ice cap and glowing clouds. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. DePasquale (STScI))

When JWST captured images of the ice giant, it was able to capture six of Uranus' 27 known moons. The other moons are too dim to be seen in a very brief 12-minute exposure; this one is the brightest of them all.

 

The powerful telescope in space will keep observing the ice behemoth. According to members of the mission team, its extended research should be able to make out two even fainter outer dust rings that the Hubble Space Telescope found in 2007

Reference: space.com




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