The world’s most expensive space telescope James Webb has just continued to show its irreplaceable importance in the field of astronomical research, bringing to humanity a one-of-a-kind image of rare beauty. see of Saturn.
James Webb’s first near-infrared observations of the second-largest planet in our solar system also revealed some of its notable moons: Dione, Enceladus, and Tethys.
In the image, Saturn appears darker than you might think, but that’s actually due to the effect of the infrared wavelengths used to observe the celestial body, since methane absorbs almost all of the light. the sun shines into the atmosphere.
On the other hand, Saturn’s icy rings don’t contain methane, so it really stands out, giving us an unusual view of the sixth planet in the solar system.
James Webb recently “turned his attention” to Saturn as part of an exercise to test the current space telescope’s ability to detect faint moons around the planet and its bright rings. planet.
“Any newly discovered moon could help scientists give a more complete picture of the present and past Saturn system.”
Promising early results, with many previously unknown details being recorded in Saturn’s ring system. NASA says that even deeper exposures will allow researchers to better analyze some of Saturn’s fainter rings, including pieces of rock and ice that are “from less than a grain of sand” to be as big as the mountains of the Earth.”
Over the past few decades, Saturn has been observed by other missions such as NASA’s Pioneer 11, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, the Cassini spacecraft, and the Hubble Space Telescope. But using a state-of-the-art near-infrared camera system, the powerful James Webb telescope has begun sending back stunning images of never-before-seen deep space, giving researchers the opportunity great to get a deeper understanding of this planet and possibly discover new features and characteristics in the years to come.