The telescope james webb It has had a good run in recent weeks because it has been able to capture very interesting large star formations, both for the scientific community and for space fans. And his most recent images are not far behind since they showed Jupiter in all its splendorrevealing a great landscape that is not only colorful but can also shed some clues about the mysteries of this planet.
In the pair of images shared by NASA, several details can be seen that make Jupiter come to life, with intense colors and curious features such as a better perspective of the planet’s thin rings, as well as a perception of more specific details such as storms. giants, powerful winds, auroras and extreme conditions of temperature and pressure.
The power of James Webb
The James Webb Telescope also managed to capture its moons: Amalthea, which is the bright point on the far left, and Adrasthea, which is the dim point on the edge of the rings, located between Amalthea and Jupiter. Behind the three celestial bodies, the faint points of light are suspected to be galaxies.
The new images are the result of the telescope’s infrared camera, which has three specialized filters that show “hidden” details of the planet. That is why the colors that can be seen in the photos are different from those usually associated with the planet, since this type of infrared light alters the “real” tones of Jupiter.
New data
“The brightness here indicates high altitude, so the Great Red Spot has high-altitude haze, as does the equatorial region.”said Heidi Hammel, interdisciplinary scientist at the James Webb Telescope for Solar System Observations. “The many bright white ‘spots’ and ‘streaks’ are likely high altitude clouds from condensed convective storms”.
With regard to these new images, researchers have already begun to analyze the data to obtain new scientific results about the largest planet in our solar system. “This image summarizes the science of our Jupiter System Program, which studies the dynamics and chemistry of Jupiter, its rings, and its satellite system.”commented Thierry Fouchet, a professor at the Paris Observatory.