Web Telescope Perfectly Captures Neptune's Rings for the First Time in 33 Years [Reading Science]

NASA: "Better than Voyager 2, which was photographed up close"

Neptune photographed by the James Webb Space Telescope. Photo by NASA

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), humanity can see the rings of Neptune again after more than 30 years.

NASA posted photos taken by JWST on its website on the 21st (local time), capturing Neptune's rings and moons for the first time in over 30 years. The most striking feature is the perfectly captured rings surrounding Neptune. Neptune's rings were only discovered in 1984. Until then, due to the great distance and faintness, it was unknown that Neptune had rings like Saturn and Jupiter. The most detailed observation was made when Voyager 2 passed by Neptune 33 years ago in 1989 and captured part of the rings. Hyde Hammel, a researcher at the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), explained, "It has been over 30 years since we last saw Neptune's faint dust rings," adding, "This is the first time they have been photographed in infrared."

Neptune and its surrounding moons captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. Photo by NASA

Neptune was discovered in 1846, but it orbits in a dark and distant region of the outer solar system, about 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth, making it difficult to observe. However, the image taken by JWST's high-sensitivity infrared sensors shows the faint dust rings more clearly than any previous observation images. It is even much clearer than the images taken by Voyager 2, which approached Neptune.

The JWST image of Neptune is closer to white rather than the blue color captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Previously, Neptune appeared blue in Hubble images due to methane in its atmosphere, but JWST's near-infrared imaging did not reflect this. Additionally, 14 of Neptune's moons are clearly visible in the image.