Saturn’s rings are glowing in Webb Space Telescope’s latest cosmic shot

PTI, Jul 1, 2023, 9:39 AM IST

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, JWST Saturn Team via AP

Saturn has a fresh new look thanks to NASA’s Webb Space Telescope. The gas giant is dark in the latest photo by Webb, released Friday, but its rings are glowing.

Webb snapped the picture in the infrared last weekend. At this wavelength, the planet appears dark because sunlight is absorbed by methane in the atmosphere. But the icy rings remain bright. Three of Saturn’s many moons also got caught on camera.

Scientists are thrilled with this latest shot, which captures Saturn’s atmosphere in detail. They hope to uncover new ring structures as well as any new planets that might be lurking there.

“We look forward to digging into the deep exposures to see what discoveries may await,” Matthew Tiscareno, a senior research scientist at the SETI Institute, said in a statement.