Image: New Webb Images Capture Rare View of Neptune’s Rings (Labeled)

Description: Hey Neptune. Did you ring? 👋 Webb’s latest image is the clearest look at Neptune's rings in 30+ years, and our first time seeing them in infrared light. Take in Webb's ghostly, ethereal views of the planet and its dust bands, rings and moons. (Some of these rings have not been detected since Voyager 2 flew by in 1989!) What’s that in the upper left? That’s no star. It’s Neptune’s large, unusual moon, Triton! Because Triton is covered in frozen, condensed nitrogen, it reflects 70% of the sunlight that hits it — making it appear very bright to Webb. 6 of Neptune’s other moons can also be seen as tiny dots surrounding Neptune and its rings. In visible light, Neptune appears blue due to small amounts of methane gas in its atmosphere. Here, Webb’s NIRCam instrument observed Neptune at near-infrared wavelengths, so Neptune doesn’t look so blue! Read more about Webb’s views of Neptune: www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/new-webb-image-captures... Image description: Webb’s view of Neptune and its moons. Here, a large, prominent 8-pointed object, colored in teal, is labeled in small white text as Neptune’s moon Triton on the upper left. A small, pearl-like Neptune is below and to the right of Triton. Neptune’s rings are a standout feature. Surrounding Neptune and its rings are 6 other moons, seen as tiny dots, and labeled (clockwise, starting from 3 o’clock): Despina, Proteus, Larissa, Thalassa, Naiad, Galatea. The background is dark and sprinkled with a few other distant objects.

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Usage Terms: Public domain