{"id":17004,"date":"2022-08-24T16:10:43","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T14:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=126911"},"modified":"2022-08-24T16:24:09","modified_gmt":"2022-08-24T14:24:09","slug":"james-webb-telescope-releases-spectacular-images-of-jupiters-great-red-spot-and-ghostly-glowing-auroras","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/james-webb-telescope-releases-spectacular-images-of-jupiters-great-red-spot-and-ghostly-glowing-auroras\/","title":{"rendered":"James Webb Telescope releases spectacular images of Jupiter\u2019s Great Red Spot and ghostly glowing auroras"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Jason Goodyer\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 24 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Here\u2019s Jupiter as you\u2019ve never seen it before: images taken by NASA and ESA\u2019s James Webb Telescope<\/a> show the giant planet\u2019s many surface features in unprecedented detail.<\/p>\n

The images were taken using the telescope\u2019s NIRCam infrared instrument on 27 July 2022. NIRCam uses three specially designed filters to reveal details of the planet at wavelengths invisible to the human eye, which can then be combined to produce incredibly detailed composite images. In general, longer wavelengths are shown in red and shorter wavelengths are shown in blue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hadn\u2019t really expected it to be this good, to be honest,\u201d said planetary astronomer Prof Imke de Pater<\/a>, of the University of California, Berkeley who led the observations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really remarkable that we can see details on Jupiter together with its rings, tiny satellites, and even galaxies in one image.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This annotated image shows the surface features on Jupiter along with three of its 79 moons and its system of faint planetary rings.<\/span><\/figcaption> \u00a9 NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; image processing by Judy Schmidt.<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The images clearly show Jupiter\u2019s iconic Great Red Spot \u2013 a giant, whirling storm found in the planet\u2019s atmosphere. Previous data recorded by NASA\u2019s Juno spacecraft has shown the storm to be around 1.3 times the diameter of Earth and made up of clouds that whirl anticlockwise at speeds of up to 680km\/h. The spot penetrates at least 320km into Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere and has been fascinating stargazers across the globe for hundreds of years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe brightness here indicates high altitude \u2013 so the Great Red Spot has high-altitude hazes, as does the equatorial region,\u201d said Dr Heidi Hammel<\/a>, Webb interdisciplinary scientist for solar system observations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe numerous bright white \u2018spots\u2019 and \u2018streaks\u2019 are likely very high-altitude cloud tops of condensed convective storms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also clearly visible are the glowing auroras that cup the planet\u2019s north and south poles. Much like the auroras here on Earth, the Northern and Southern Lights, these are created when high-energy particles ejected by the Sun<\/a> enter a planet\u2019s atmosphere near its magnetic poles and collide with atoms of gas.<\/p>\n

The auroras seen on Jupiter are hundreds of times more energetic than those on Earth and, unlike those on our home planet, are always present.<\/p>\n

Continuing observations by the James Webb Telescope will help researchers to further study the chemistry and dynamics of Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n

Read more about space exploration:<\/strong><\/p>\n