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The international space telescope James Webb captured the most detailed images of Neptune in over 30 years. The new records were released by the North American Space Agency, the NASA, and also by ESA, the European space agency, this Wednesday (21). Details of Neptune's rings have not been captured since 1989, when Voyager 2 became the first spacecraft to observe the planet. 2z2b64
"It's been three decades since we last saw these faint, dusty rings, and this is the first time we've seen them in the infrared.", notes scientist Heidi Hammel. The ice giant is the eighth farthest planet from the Sun in our solar system and has had its key features observed with a whole new perspective.
In the new images, it is possible to see, beyond the rings, some fainter dust lanes. The records were obtained through the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), which has three infrared filters. O James Webb also captured seven of Neptune's 14 known moons. In the image, a bright spot of light stands out next to the planet. This is Triton, the moon of the ice giant. (see below).
Neptune's Characteristics 6t3d3m
Neptune is the only planet in our solar system that is not visible to the naked eye. It was discovered in 1846 and has fascinated researchers ever since. It is 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth and orbits in one of the darkest areas of the Solar System. It is also classified as an ice giant due to the chemical composition of its interior.
If we compare it to other planets, like Jupiter and Saturn, for example, Neptune is much richer in heavier elements than hydrogen and helium. This feature can be noticed in the released images, through the blue appearance of Neptune at visible wavelengths, caused by small amounts of gaseous methane.
The plane also has a strong magnetic field, in addition to having a system of rings, some being thinner than others, details that make it one of the most ired planets by scientists and observers.
Records also from Mars 6q1q18
Earlier in the week, the NASA also released other images captured by its super telescope. These are the first records of Mars made by James Webb. Captured on September 5, they depict a region of the red planet's eastern hemisphere. According to the US space agency, this is a “unique perspective” of Mars, which complements images and information that had been collected previously.
The new revelations show the eastern hemisphere of Mars in different wavelengths of infrared light. On the left is a reference map of the hemisphere captured by the Mars Global Surveyor mission, which ended in 2006. The image located in the upper right corner shows sunlight reflected off the Martian surface, showing features of the planet such as the Huygens Crater, dark volcanic rock and Hellas Planitia, a massive impact crater on the red planet that spans more than 2.000 kilometers.
You can also see, in the lower right image, the thermal emission of Mars, or the light emitted by the planet as it loses heat. The lighter areas indicate the hottest spots. In addition, astronomers detected something else in the thermal emission image. When this thermal light es through the Martian atmosphere, some of it is absorbed by carbon dioxide molecules. This phenomenon made Hellas Planitia appear darker.
NASA believes that these observations will be very valuable for future research on “from regional differences across the planet and the search for trace gases in the atmosphere, including methane and hydrogen chloride”.
James Webb Telescope Is The Most Powerful Ever Placed In Orbit 561r1i
As the spiritual successor of the Hubble, the most famous and longest-lived telescope that mankind has taken into space, the Space Telescope James Webb It is considered the largest space science telescope ever built by man. To get a little of the real dimension of the equipment, only its solar shield, a structure that protects it from the light and heat of the Sun, is approximately the size of a tennis court. Altogether, with its more than 6 tons, it reaches the weight of a school bus.
Launched at the end of December last year, the telescope has been in development for 30 years and has an estimated cost of US$ 10 billion. One of its main differentials is its ability to see in infrared and, in this way, observe stars and planetary systems that “hide” in clouds of gas and dust located in regions of the Universe that have never been explored, impossible to be observed by visible light.
Another feature that makes Webb even more special is related to the size of its main mirror, which measures about 6,5 meters in diameter, which makes it 100 times more sensitive than Hubble.
See also:
See also 1st photo of exoplanet HIP 65426 b captured by James Webb this September.
