Uranus is not the first planet that comes to mind when astronomers think of rings. More spectacular celestial cousins like Saturn and Jupiter earn that honor. But the rings around Uranus are quite spectacular in their own right, as new research has revealed, among other things. recent images Photographed by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The images taken by JWST’s NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) are particularly noteworthy for the clarity and detail they show Uranus’ rings. Among these is the famous zeta ring. This is a very dark and dusty celestial body that was first discovered by Earthlings. voyager 2 NASA describes the ring as “elusive” on its website, adding that JWST’s “exquisite sensitivity” allowed it to capture images of only “the very faint and diffuse ring closest to the planet.”
As far as standout images from JWST go, Uranus’ rings aren’t the only ones in existence. on the other hand, voyager 2 Images of Uranus show a cyan orb, but the new JWST image shows a variety of hues: electric bright white, soft purple, light blue, and dark blue. JWST also captured many images of 27 moons orbiting Uranus, each with Shakespearean names: Belinda, Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Perdita, Portia, Puck, and Rosalind.
NASA scientists also noted that new images reveal chaos beneath Uranus’ seemingly placid surface. They note that several bright storms are visible both near and below the southern edge of the polar cap. It’s a good thing we got this image, because no NASA missions to distant planets are officially planned, although they could be launched between 2028 and 2038.