Saturn in a new light. NASA shared a never-before-seen photo of the planet, captured by the James Webb Telescope on June 25. The rare quality shot highlights the famous rings of the second largest planet in the solar system.
To achieve this result, the scientists used the space telescope’s “NIRCam,” a near-infrared imaging instrument. “Saturn appears extremely dark at this infrared wavelength (…) because methane absorbs almost all of the sunlight that falls on the atmosphere. However, the ice rings remain relatively bright, hence Saturn’s unusual appearance.” says NASA.
Study the rings and moons
The photo is part of an observation program that seeks to study the rings but also the moons of the planet Saturn. Three of them (Dione, Enceladus and Tethys) are visible on the left of the image. While Saturn currently has 145 moons, NASA hopes to discover new ones.
As for the rings, they are “the most complex and largest in the Solar System. They are made up of rocks and blocks of ice of highly variable sizes, ranging from a speck of dust to the size of a mountain”, he underlines. Magazine science and life.
Source: BFM TV
