Neptune is the outermost planet in the solar system that has thin rings with faint dust lanes around it. These have been observed in infrared for the first time, allowing seven of Neptune’s 14 moons to be captured. The seven that can be seen from the recently released footage are Galatea, Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Proteus, Larissa and Triton. Triton is Neptune’s largest and most unusual moon, dominating James Webb’s portrait of Neptune as a point of radiating light, creating signature diffraction spikes seen in many Webb images. Webb recently showed Jupiter at its clearest in new photos released last month. The brand-new telescope technology launched a year ago in December 2021 and exists to peer into the universe. Experts hope to be able to see back to the beginning of time when stars and galaxies first formed. Image: Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI NASA’s Voyager 2 was the first spacecraft to see the icy blue planet Neptune in a 1989 flyby, with no other spacecraft having successfully visited the planet. It’s been three decades since astronomers last saw the rings from Neptune in detail, said Heidi Hammel of the Space Science Institute. Ms Hammel, a planetary astronomer and Neptune system expert who works with Webb, said in a Twitter thread: “More than 20 years in the making and JWST has delivered. “…And that bright blue ‘star’? That’s not a star! That’s Neptune’s imaginary moon Triton! It looks brighter than Neptune because at these near-infrared wavelengths, Neptune’s atmospheric methane absorbs the light of the sun, making the planet darker – that’s also why the rings come out.” James Webb is now the largest and most powerful telescope in the world, capable of imaging up to a million miles from Earth.
