An incredible new image from the James Webb Telescope shows Saturn as it has never been seen before

Iconic structure of Saturn observed with new details Adorable by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) from NASA, in an image that highlights unexpected features of the planet’s atmosphere.

taken in infrared, Stunning photo of Saturn’s rings In all its majesty, the light seemed to reflect on it, shimmering in the background. This effect is due to Length in Wave Infrared Specific used in the image (3.23 μm).

At this wavelength, almost all of the sunlight is absorbed by Saturn’s methane-rich atmosphere., which means that their distinct bands are not visible. The rings do not contain methane, and thus appear in their natural brightness.

In search of new moons

Designed by researchers from SETI Institutethe new Saturn note isn’t just a pretty picture — it’s also a test of JWST’s ability Exposing the faint moons around Saturn.

If you look closely at the image, you can spot three small lights located to the left of the gas giant. These are moons DebtAnd Enceladus that it Tethys. The image is a testament to the telescope’s capabilities in observing the moon, which could lead to the discovery of previously unknown satellites in orbit around Saturn, providing scientists with The most complete picture of the planet’s current environmentas well as his past.

d said Matthew Ticarino is a senior research fellow at the SETI Institute. “We look forward to digging deeper into the deep exposures to see what discoveries can await.”

New details in Saturn’s atmosphere

Indeed, interesting discoveries have already been made, with the image revealing what researchers say are unexpected features associated with it Aerosols high in the stratosphere of Saturn’s atmosphere.

It includes Large, dark structures in the northern hemisphere which are not aligned with the latitudes of the planet. Researchers have already detected similar features in Jupiter’s atmosphere. In addition to, Typical seasonal changes can be observedincluding the fact that it is currently summer in Saturn’s northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere.

The image is part of a set of deeply exposed images that scientists will use to look more closely at Saturn’s rings, at We hope to identify new ring structures. Depth exposures, not visible in this image, will allow the planet’s fainter rings to be investigated, which cannot be seen in the images above.