A stunning new image released by NASA on Monday details a new image of Uranus, revealing a stunning look at its glowing rings and a rarely seen feature.
The photos, taken by NASA’s high-powered James Webb Space Telescope, capture the icy planet along with its various inner and outer rings, nine of its 27 known moons and its seasonal polar caps.
These new pictures offer a rare glimpse of the “bright” Zeta ring, the extremely faint, diffuse ring closest to the planet – shown in reddish brown.
Multiple other rings were captured in glowing blue.
The high-powered Webb telescope also captured images of atmospheric events on the frozen planet, including Uranus’ seasonal north polar cloud cap and several nearby storms.
The image of Uranus was captured by the high-powered James Webb Space Telescope. NASA The images offer a rarely seen glimpse of Uranus’ inner Zeta ring and capture several of the planet’s moons. NASA
The polar caps become more apparent as Uranus’ poles shift toward the sun as it approaches the solstice and receives more sunlight. The next planetary solstice is in 2028.
Uranus has the most extreme seasons in the solar system because it rotates on its side at a tilt of about 98 degrees, according to NASA. While the sun shines on one pillar, the other plunges into a dark winter for 21 years.
“With Webb’s unparalleled infrared resolution and sensitivity, astronomers are now seeing Uranus and its unique features with brilliant new clarity,” NASA said. “These details, especially the close Zeta rings, will be invaluable for planning any future missions to Uranus.”
Uranus has the most extreme seasons in the solar system. NASA
NASA also said the planet and its new images will help its scientists study nearly 2,000 similar-sized exoplanets discovered over the past few decades.
“This ‘exoplanet in our backyard’ could help astronomers understand how planets this size work, their meteorological properties, and how they formed,” the government agency said. “This in turn can help us understand our own solar system as a whole by putting it in a larger context.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
