![]() In fact, Neptune’s methane gas strongly absorbs red and infrared light, so the planet looks dark at these wavelengths, except where high-altitude clouds are present. As a result, Neptune does not appear blue in these images. However, Webb’s NIRCam uses the near-infrared range of the electromagentic spectrum. It’s this methane gas that gives the ice giant its signature blue color in images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope’s visible wavelengths cameras. ![]() The icy planet’s atmosphere is made of hydrogen, helium and methane. ![]() Compared with gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, which are predominantly hydrogen and helium, Neptune is richer in heavier elements and molecules, such as water, ammonia and methane. The planet Neptune is characterized as an ice giant due to the chemical makeup of its interior. Webb’s cameras also clearly showed Neptune’s fainter dust bands for the first time. In September 2021, astronomers pointed Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) at Neptune, where it captured the clearest view of the planet’s rings since 1989 when Voyager 2 became the first spacecraft to observe the distant planet. Typically, Webb looks into deep space to search for dark stars and supernovas. Webb is currently helping us get a better view of Neptune. As such, images of Neptune are difficult to come by, but thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb), we’ve been able to take a closer look at the planet. It’s the outermost planet of our solar system, orbiting in one of the dimmest and most remote areas. The planet Neptune is far, far away - more than 2.7 billion miles from Earth to be exact.
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