Saturn gets a fresh look thanks to NASA’s Webb Space Telescope
ByMarcia Dunn AP Aerospace Writer
This June 2023 image provided by the Space Telescope Science Institute shows the planet Saturn and three of its moons, from left, Enceladus, Tethys and Dione, as captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. In the infrared, the planet appears dark because sunlight is absorbed by methane in the atmosphere. (NASA, ESA, CSA, JWST Saturn Team via AP)
The Associated Press
Cape Canaveral, Florida — Saturn gets a new look thanks to NASA’s Webb Space Telescope.
The gas giant is dark, but its icy rings are glowing in the latest photo by Webb released on Friday.
Webb captured the picture in infrared last weekend. At this wavelength, the planet appears dark because sunlight is absorbed by the methane in the atmosphere. But the icy rings remain bright.
Three of Saturn’s many moons were also caught on camera.
Scientists are thrilled with this latest shot, which shows Saturn’s atmosphere in great detail. They hope to uncover new ring structures as well as any new, fainter moons that may be hiding out there.
“We look forward to delving deeper to see what discoveries may await,” Matthew Tiscareno, a senior research scientist at the SETI Institute, said in a statement.
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