Webb Telescope captures a clearest image of Neptune's ring after three decades. It have not been detected since the Voyager 2 became the first to observe Neptune during its flyby in 1989.
 |
| Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) images objects in the near-infrared range from 0.6 to 5 microns, so Neptune does not appear blue to Webb. In fact, the methane gas so strongly absorbs red and infrared light that the planet is quite dark at these near-infrared wavelengths, except where high-altitude clouds are present. Such methane-ice clouds are prominent as bright streaks and spots, which reflect sunlight before it is absorbed by methane gas. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI |
Neptune is at a distance about 30 times of sun-earth distance. It is at a dark corner of our solar system. Light doesn't reach from sun very effectively. Noon in this planet is like dim twilight in earth.
Compaired to the gas planets like Jupiter and Saturn, It is much richer in elements. This ice gaint contains chemical elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. Its main contributed element is methane. In visible wavelength it is seen as a blue planet. In 2021 Hubble telescope shared a picture of Neptune in blue colour. It is due to its methane gas.
But when Webb observes it with infrared wavelength, it doesn't appear blue. Neptune mostly contains methane gas which absorbs red and infrared light strongly. It appears as a very dark planet in infrared wavelength. James Webb telescope uses it Near infrared camera to precise the colour and so the rings are appeared clearly. NIRcam uses 0.6 to 5 micron range to image a object. This rings are consisted of methane-ice cloud which reflects the light coming from sun before absorbed by methane gas.
 |
| What do we see in Webb's latest image of the ice giant Neptune? Webb captured seven of Neptune’s 14 known moons: Galatea, Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Proteus, Larissa, and Triton. Neptune’s large and unusual moon, Triton, dominates this Webb portrait of Neptune as a very bright point of light sporting the signature diffraction spikes seen in many of Webb’s images. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI |
“It has 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 Heidi Hammel, a Neptune system expert and interdisciplinary scientist for Webb.
Related Posts
These rings are evolving around Neptune on the equator.Scientists say that it could be visual signature of global atmospheric circulation that powers Neptune's wind and storms. The atmosphere descends and warms at the equator, and thus glows at infrared wavelengths more than the surrounding, cooler gases.
The 8th planet of our solar system have 14 moons. Webb captured 7 of its moons orbiting Neptune. The left top most image is the image of Neptune's largest unusual moon, Triton. It is said to be unusual because it orbits in retrograde orbit of Neptune and it seems like Neptune forcefully occupies it by using its gravitational field.
In this picture we can see the diffraction spike of Triton look like a star. It contains condensed nitrogen on its surface and reflects 70% of sun light to Neptune. Webb is moving to study both Triton and Neptune soon as declared by NASA.