The groundbreaking James Webb Telescope (JWST) gives us glimpses of space you’ve never seen before. Being the most powerful space telescope ever, James Webb has revealed many unknowns about space so far. The space telescope, which allows us to see much more distant lands, also allows us to see closer celestial objects much more clearly. The last example of this is Jupiter.
Jupiter’s spectacular aurora images
The European Space Agency (ESA) shared images of the giant planet taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. Taken by the Webb telescope’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), the image shows spectacular aurorae forming over both the planet’s north and south poles.
In addition to the breathtaking aurora, you can also see the planet’s extremely faint rings and two smaller moons in the shared image. The leftmost bright spot is the planet’s Amalthea moon, while the bright spot on the left edge of the middle ring is Adrastea.
The image taken on July 27 does not fully reflect the color of the planet, as infrared technology and filters are used. The planet’s characteristic ‘big red spot’ and cloud layer are white because it reflects a large amount of sunlight.
These images provided by the James Webb Space Telescope allow us to know much more about Jupiter. By studying Jupiter, astronomers think they can understand the behavior of other giant celestial bodies beyond the Solar System.
Launched into space in December 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope continues its research about 1.6 million kilometers from Earth. Thanks to this powerful space telescope, it is thought that some questions about the formation of the universe can be answered.
Let’s see how the James Webb Space Telescope will open new horizons for us. So what do you think about the Jupiter images taken by JWST? You can share your views with us in the comments section.
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