IT House News on December 19, in order to celebrate the upcoming second anniversary of its launch, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) sent a special gift - the latest infrared image of Uranus. Uranus in this image is like a blue ball of light, rippling into the dark universe, showing its unprecedented charming side.
The Webb telescope has given us a more vivid and detailed view of Uranus than the bland images taken by Voyager 2 in the 1980s. Through the lens of the infrared spectrum, the Webb telescope has given us a picture of "a strange and vibrant world of ice filled with exciting atmospheric features."
The Webb Telescope image highlights the numerous rings surrounding Uranus, including the "elusive Zeta Ring," the faint and diffuse ring in Uranus's innermost ring. Also visible is the white spot at the center of the image, Uranus's polar cloud cap.
Additionally, the image captures 14 of Uranus' 27 moons, including Oberon, Titania, Umbriel, Juliet, Posita, Rosalind, Pook, Belinda, and Tess Mona, Cressida, Ariel, Miranda, Bianca and Portia are among the many moons named after Shakespeare's characters.
This photo uses four NIRCam filters to reveal details in the near-infrared spectrum. These filters include F140M (blue), F210M (cyan), F300M (yellow), and F460M (orange). Earlier this year, NASA shared an image that used only two filters (blue and orange), thus showing a more pristine and rough appearance of Uranus.
Speaking of ice, Uranus can be said to be the kingdom of ice and snow. It spins at an inclination of about 98 degrees, causing the other side of the planet to be plunged into extreme cold and darkness for a quarter of a Uranian year (IT Home Note: One Uranian year is equivalent to about 84 Earth years).
Astronomers believe that images from the Webb telescope will help them better understand Uranus, especially its Zeta rings, and provide important information for future exploration missions. They also believe the images could help us learn about the nearly 2,000 exoplanets in other solar systems that are similar to Uranus.
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