Ringed Ice Giant Neptune
Ringed Ice Giant Neptune
Image Credit:
Explanation:
Ringed ice giant Neptune
lies near the center of this sharp
near-infrared image from the
James Webb Space Telescope.
The dim and distant world is the
farthest planet from the Sun,
about 30 times farther away than planet Earth.
But in the stunning Webb view, the planet’s dark and ghostly appearance
is due to atmospheric methane that absorbs infrared light.
High altitude clouds that reach above most of Neptune’s absorbing methane
easily stand out in the image though.
Coated with frozen nitrogen, Neptune’s largest moon Triton is
brighter than Neptune in reflected sunlight,
seen at the upper left sporting the Webb telescope’s characteristic
diffraction spikes.
Including Triton, seven of Neptune’s 14 known moons can be
identified
in the field of view.
Neptune’s faint rings
are striking in this space-based
planetary portrait.
Details of the complex ring system are seen here for the first
time since Neptune was visited by the
Voyager 2 spacecraft in August 1989.
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