Webb also spotted seven of Neptune’s 14 known moons. Because the planet is tilted away from Earth and takes 164 years to orbit the Sun, astronomers have not yet had a good look at its north pole. These include the rings and dust bands that encircle the ice giant. A small, pearl-like Neptune is below and to the right of Triton. Ringed Neptune captured by James Webb telescope. Here, a large, prominent 8-pointed object, colored in teal, is labeled in small white text as Neptune’s moon Triton on the upper left. The image also shows an “intriguing brightness” near the top of Neptune, NASA said in a statement. Image description: Webb’s view of Neptune and its moons. “The rings are more reflective in the infrared,” McCaughrean said, “so they’re much easier to see.” However, the near-infrared wavelengths captured by Webb’s primary imager NIRCam shows the planet as a greyish white, with icy clouds streaking the surface. Neptune appears as deep blue in previous images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope due to methane in its atmosphere. This is the clearest view of Neptunes rings in over 30 years since. Stunning NASA James Webb Telescope Image Reveals Neptune's Delicate Rings The trailblazing machine delivers once again, offering us the best view of Neptune since 1989. The telescope “takes all that glare and background away” so that “we can start to tease out the atmospheric composition” of the planet, McCaughrean, who has worked on the Webb project for more than 20 years, told AFP. The new James Webb Space Telescope images reveal 7 of Neptunes 14 moons, including the large, bright moon Triton (top left). NASA released new images of Neptune from the James Webb Space Telescope on Wednesday, showing off some of the planets rings. Now Webb’s unprecedented infrared imaging capabilities has provided a new glimpse into Neptune’s atmosphere, said Mark McCaughrean, a senior advisor for science and exploration at the European Space Agency.

The last time astronomers had such a clear view of the farthest planet from the sun was when NASA’s Voyager 2 became the first and only space probe to fly past the ice giant for just a few hours in 1989. Webb’s image managed to reveal the distant planet’s delicate rings. It’s also been showing off its capabilities closer to home with its first image of Neptune. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has sent back its first image of Neptune and it’s the clearest view of the ice giant in more than 30 years. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows off its capabilities closer to home with its first image of Neptune. The James Webb Space Telescope isn’t just being used to capture stunning images of deep space.

James webb telescope neptune rings