JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE CAPTURES ANOTHER RINGED PLANET

From - Sky & Telescope,

By - Monica Young,

Edited by - Amal Udawatta,

The planet Uranus on a black background. The planet appears light blue with a large, white patch on the right side. The image is labelled to indicate the locations of the planet’s clouds, polar cap, and zeta ring

This annotated, zoomed-in image of Uranus, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on 6 February 2023, reveals stunning views of the planet’s rings, as well as clouds and the polar cap.

NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / J. DePasquale (STScI)

Webb has returned an image of ringed Uranus, currently experiencing the dog days of northern hemisphere summer

The James Webb Space Telescope is continuing its portfolio of the outer solar system, this time returning an image of ringed Uranus. The tipped-over ice giant is currently facing its northern pole straight toward the Sun. Imaged previously by Voyager 2 (from a distance of only 50,640 miles, or 81,500 km) and by the adaptive-optics system on the Keck Observatory in Hawai'i, the planet revealed new details to Webb's sensitive instruments over an exposure time of just 12 minutes.

The image shown here is taken at two infrared wavelengths centered on 1.4 and 3.0 microns. The infrared colors have been translated to blue and orange, respectively, to create an image we can see. Infrared light reveals the bright polar cap, which appears during Uranian spring and disappears in the autumn. The image shows that the polar cap has gradations, appearing brightest at its center. There are also two white clouds, probably associated with storms, and 11 of the planet's 13 dusty rings can be seen.

One year on Uranus is equivalent to 84 on Earth, so light touches the northern hemisphere for 42 years. Then, since the planet spins on its side, the north cap will face cold, dark space for another 42 years. The difference between the two hemispheres results in extreme weather, with measured wind speeds of up to 560 miles per hour. In some places, this planet is even colder than farther-out Neptune, although why that is remains a mystery.

The planet Uranus is on a black background just left of centre. It is coloured light blue and displays a large, white patch on the right side as well as two bright spots and a surrounding system of nested rings oriented vertically — This wider view of the Uranian system with Webb’s NIRCam instrument features the planet Uranus as well as six of its 27 known moons (most of which are too small and faint to be seen in this short exposure). A handful of background objects, including many galaxies, are also seen.
*NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / J. DePasquale (STScI)*

This image is the latest to join Webb's planetary pantheon, which also includes Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune. But while these images are beautiful in themselves, the science is only beginning. Stay tuned for more as astronomers find insights into this icy world.

Comments

Why did Homo sapiens outlast all other human species?

From - Live Science By Mindy Weisberger Edited by - Amal Udawatta Reproductions of skulls from a Neanderthal (left), Homo sapiens (middle) and Australopithecus afarensis (right) (Image credit: WHPics, Paul Campbell, and Attie Gerber via Getty Images; collage by Marilyn Perkins) Modern humans ( Homo sapiens ) are the sole surviving representatives of the human family tree , but we're the last sentence in an evolutionary story that began approximately 6 million years ago and spawned at least 18 species known collectively as hominins. There were at least nine Homo species — including H. sapiens — distributed around Africa, Europe and Asia by about 300,000 years ago, according to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Nat ural History in Washington, D.C. One by one, all except H. sapiens disappeared. Neanderthals and a Homo group known as the Denisovans lived alongside...

New Zealand loses first naval ship to sea since WW2

Aleks Phillips BBC New , Michael Bristow, BBC World Service Edited by - Amal Udawatta US Navy HMNZS Manawanui capsized after running aground off the coast of Samoa The Royal New Zealand Navy has lost its first ship to the sea since World War Two, after one of its vessels ran aground off the coast of Samoa. HMNZS Manawanui, a specialist diving and ocean imaging ship, came into trouble about one nautical mile from the island of Upolu on Saturday night local time, while conducting a survey of a reef. It later caught fire before capsizing. All 75 people on board were evacuated onto lifeboats and rescued early on Sunday, New Zealand's Defence Force said in a statement. Officials said the cause of the grounding was unknown and will be investigated. Reuters All 75 people on board have now safely been rescued The incident occurred during a bout of rough and windy weather. Military officials said rescuers "battled" currents and winds that pushed ...

Astronomers Find 21 “Dark” Neutron Stars Orbiting Sun-like Stars

from - Sky & Telescope By Monica Young Edited by - Amal Udawatta New analysis has revealed 21 Sun-like stars in mutual orbit around dark objects of neutron star–like masses — rare systems that have escaped destruction by supernova. Most massive stars are born with at least one stellar sibling. But as the massive ones of these groups mature, they wreak havoc on their families. Yet astronomers have found some that have survived this tumult. Before exploding as a supernova, a massive star expands, sometimes engulfing any stellar companions. Or, even if the companion avoids being swallowed up, it may yet end up on its own: The supernova imparts a kick on the crushed core of the massive star, causing the newborn neutron star to escape the system. Many of the thousands of neutron stars known in the Milky Way are alone. But in a new analysis of data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission, Kareem El-Badry (Caltech) and colleagues have found 21 survivors: “dark” neutron stars i...

Nature Hub

Search This Blog