Unprecedented photos of Neptune taken by the James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope has provided unprecedented images of Neptune and its rings, which provide valuable insights into its atmosphere. NASA announcedWednesday, September 21.

Astronomers haven’t had such clear views of the farthest planet in the solar system since the short and only passage of a probe, Voyager 2, near this icy giant, in 1989. An infrared telescope view provides a new way to analyze the atmosphere, explained Mark McGreen, a consultant Science and Exploration at the European Space Agency.

The telescope removes all glare from the sun’s reflection off Neptune’s surface and light pollution from its surroundings, so “to begin to guess the composition of the atmosphere” This astronomer who has worked for more than twenty years on the James Webb Telescope project, told AFP.

Seven of Neptune’s fourteen moons have been captured

Neptune had a bluish appearance in images taken in the visible waveband by the Hubble telescope, due to the presence of methane in its atmosphere. Using James-Webb’s NIRCam instrument, which operates in the near infrared, the planet takes on a whitish-gray color. The image also appears “strange light” At one of the poles of Neptune, NASA said in a statement.

The telescope also took pictures of seven of the planet’s 14 known moons. In particular Triton, whose brilliance resembles a small star. Larger than the dwarf planet Pluto, it also appears brighter than Neptune due to sunlight reflecting off its icy surface.

Astronomers looking for planets outside the solar system have found that those like Neptune or Uranus are the most common. “Being able to keep a close eye on these will make it easier for others to notice. [géantes de glace] revolve around other stars From the Sun, McCogren explained.

In service since July, the James Webb Telescope is the most powerful space telescope ever deployed. It will allow some kind of astronomy “Which was unimaginable even five years ago”Mr. McCurren said.