![]() Webb Has Captured 7 Of Neptune’s 14 Known MoonsĪstronomers have identified 14 moons orbiting Neptune. However, the Webb images hint at an intriguing brightness at the northern pole.įor the first time, Webb has revealed a continuous band of high-latitude clouds surrounding Neptune's southern pole. The northern pole of Neptune, at the top of the image, is out of view for astronomers, because the ice giant has an orbital period of 164 years. As a result, the region near the equator glows at infrared wavelengths more than the surrounding, cooler gases.ĪLSO READ | Listen In: A New, Immersive Way To Explore NASA James Webb Space Telescope Images, With Sound ![]() The atmosphere of Neptune descends and warms at the equator. ![]() This could be a visual signature of the global atmospheric circulation powering Neptune's winds and storms. A thin line of brightness circles Neptune's equator. Webb has captured Neptune’s rings in amazing detail. These methane-ice clouds appear as bright streaks and spots because they reflect sunlight before it is absorbed by methane gas. The methane gas in Neptune's atmosphere strongly absorbs red and infrared light, as a result of which the ice giant is quite dark at near-infrared wavelengths, the exception being the regions with high-altitude clouds.ĪLSO READ | James Webb Space Telescope Captures Inner Region Of Orion Nebula. The ice giant does not appear blue to Webb because the telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) views objects in the near-infrared range from 0.6 to five microns. Small amounts of methane can be attributed to Neptune's signature blue appearance in Hubble Space Telescope images at visible wavelengths.ĪLSO READ | James Webb Space Telescope Captures Its First Images Of Mars.
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