"I've Never Seen Such Vivid Photos of Jupiter Before" [Reading Science]

NASA Releases More Images from James Webb Space Telescope
This Time Distributing Highest Resolution Photos of Jupiter and Surrounding Moons

Historic high-resolution images of Jupiter and its moons taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. The Great Red Spot and rings are clearly visible, along with the moons. Photo by NASA.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] "This is the first time I've seen such vivid images of Jupiter." The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is opening a new horizon in space observation, has this time captured astonishingly precise and detailed images of Jupiter and its surrounding moons.

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released images on the 14th (local time) taken by JWST using its Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) of Jupiter and its surrounding moons.

The images show Jupiter and its moons more concretely than any previously captured images. In particular, the Great Red Spot, known as Jupiter's "eye," and the black vortex-shaped rings were clearly observed. However, since the Great Red Spot was captured with an infrared camera, it appears white rather than red in these images.

Photos of Jupiter and its moons taken by the James Webb Space Telescope using a near-infrared camera. The left image uses a 2.12-micron filter, and the right image uses a 3.23-micron filter. Photo by NASA.

The three moons Europa, Thebe, and Metis are also clearly and distinctly captured. It is even possible to observe a black spot, presumed to be the shadow of Europa, beneath the Great Red Spot.

Brian Holler, a researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), explained, "These images of Jupiter prove that through JWST, we can fully understand not only the most distant galaxies but also planets within our solar system that can be seen with the naked eye."

Stephanie Milam, a planetary scientist at NASA, said, "I can't believe we can observe every part of Jupiter so clearly and brightly," adding, "I'm excited to think about observing other celestial bodies within our solar system using JWST."