_:n78b5d199841d4056a75a22a7ff9692c2xb0
<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"<p>You probably haven&rsquo;t seen Saturn like this.&nbsp;</p><p>For the first time, NASA&rsquo;s James Webb Space Telescope has snapped a picture of the gas giant, which captures Saturn&rsquo;s iconic rings. But you won&rsquo;t find the planet&rsquo;s yellow body.&nbsp;Instead, the rest of the planet looks decidedly gloomy and haunting.&nbsp;</p><p>The reason is because the space telescope imaged the planet in <a href=\"https://webb.nasa.gov/content/observatory/instruments/nircam.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"(Opens in a new tab)\">near-infrared light,</a> which can better capture dimmer objects compared to the visible light spectrum.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;Saturn itself appears extremely dark at this infrared wavelength observed by the telescope, as methane gas absorbs almost all of the sunlight falling on the atmosphere,&rdquo; NASA <a href=\"https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2023/06/30/saturns-rings-shine-in-webbs-observations-of-ringed-planet/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"(Opens in a new tab)\">says</a>.</p><p>The near-infrared image also shows Saturn more as a hazy planet, instead of the usual <a href=\"https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2023/news-2023-005\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"(Opens in a new tab)\">striped</a> appearance. NASA says &ldquo;the patchiness is reminiscent of large-scale planetary waves in the stratospheric aerosols high above the main clouds&hellip; the northern pole is particularly dark, perhaps due to an unknown seasonal process affecting polar aerosols in particular.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p><img src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20768%20432'%3E%3Crect%20fill='%23f7f7f7'%20/%3E%3C/svg%3E\" class=\"\" data-image-loader=\"https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/04xf0ho7A9hpzksTh94AGG5-3.png\" data-lazy-sized alt=\"raw image of saturn from jwst\" data-image-path=\"articles/04xf0ho7A9hpzksTh94AGG5-3.png\">\n<div style=\"line-height:1.25 !important\" class=\"-mt-4 mb-8\">\n    <small>(Credit: jwstfeed.com)</small>\n</div>\n<p>Meanwhile, Saturn&rsquo;s rings, which are made up of ice and cold rock, remain bright. The <a href=\"https://jwstfeed.com/Home/ShowFeed?searchTerm=saturn-centre\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"(Opens in a new tab)\">raw image</a> taken from the telescope show an even starker difference with the rings completely white while the rest of the planet seemingly remains in the shadows, nearly black.&nbsp;</p><p>Astronomers took the image &ldquo;to test the telescope&rsquo;s capacity to detect faint moons around the planet and its bright rings,&rdquo; NASA says. Whether any fainter moons were imaged remains unclear, but the telescope was able to capture three of Saturn&rsquo;s larger moons in the same picture: Dione, Enceladus, and Tethys.</p><div class=\"py-4\" data-parent-group=\"related-stories\">\n    <div class=\"mx-0 border border-b border-l-0 border-r-0 border-t border-gray-300 py-4 md:ml-8 md:mr-24\">\n        <h3 class=\"font-stretch-ultra-condensed mb-2 text-lg font-semibold uppercase\">Recommended by Our Editors</h3>\n        <div class=\"flex flex-wrap\">\n                            <div class=\"my-4 inline-flex w-full md:my-2\">\n                    \n                    <a class=\"mr-4 inline min-w-24 max-w-24 no-underline md:min-w-28 md:max-w-28\" data-module=\"related-recirc\" data-item=\"related-recirc-list\" data-element=\"related-recirc-image\" data-position=\"1\" data-title=\"James Webb Space Telescope Spots Water Vapor on Distant Exoplanet Image\" 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                     <div class=\"my-4 inline-flex w-full md:my-2\">\n                    \n                    <a class=\"mr-4 inline min-w-24 max-w-24 no-underline md:min-w-28 md:max-w-28\" data-module=\"related-recirc\" data-item=\"related-recirc-list\" data-element=\"related-recirc-image\" data-position=\"3\" data-title=\"Glitch Caused James Webb Telescope To Randomly Enter 'Safe Mode' Image\" href=\"/news/glitch-caused-james-webb-telescope-to-randomly-enter-safe-mode\" x-track-ga-click>\n                                            <div class=\"relative aspect-video overflow-hidden\">\n                            <img class=\"absolute inset-1/2 h-auto w-auto translate-center\" data-image-loader=\"https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/05zwqTkQDThUUnkIt066WBX-1.fit_lpad.size_400x225.v1671735287.jpg\" data-lazy-sized src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20400%20225'%3E%3Crect%20fill='%23f7f7f7'%20/%3E%3C/svg%3E\" alt=\"Glitch Caused James Webb Telescope To Randomly Enter 'Safe Mode'\">\n                        </div>\n                                        </a>\n                    <div class=\"flex w-auto flex-col justify-center md:mr-20\">\n                        \n                        <a class=\"inline-block align-middle leading-tight no-underline\" data-module=\"related-recirc\" data-item=\"related-recirc-list\" data-element=\"related-recirc-link\" data-position=\"3\" href=\"/news/glitch-caused-james-webb-telescope-to-randomly-enter-safe-mode\" x-track-ga-click>Glitch Caused James Webb Telescope To Randomly Enter 'Safe Mode'</a>\n                    </div>\n                </div>\n                    </div>\n    </div>\n</div>\n<img src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20768%20432'%3E%3Crect%20fill='%23f7f7f7'%20/%3E%3C/svg%3E\" class=\"\" data-image-loader=\"https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/04xf0ho7A9hpzksTh94AGG5-2.png\" data-lazy-sized alt=\"the image annotated with names\" data-image-path=\"articles/04xf0ho7A9hpzksTh94AGG5-2.png\">\n<div style=\"line-height:1.25 !important\" class=\"-mt-4 mb-8\">\n    <small>(Credit: NASA)</small>\n</div>\n<p>&ldquo;Any newly discovered moons could help scientists put together a more complete picture of the current system of Saturn, as well as its past,&rdquo; the space agency added. Other exposures will also help scientists better examine the planet&rsquo;s fainter rings.&nbsp;</p><p>The new image means James Webb Space Telescope has now taken pictures of all the gas giants in our solar system, including <a href=\"https://www.pcmag.com/news/james-webb-telescope-snaps-clearest-image-of-neptunes-rings-in-decades\" target=\"_self\">Neptune</a>, <a href=\"https://www.pcmag.com/news/james-webb-telescope-snaps-stunning-shot-of-uranus-let-the-jokes-fly\" target=\"_self\">Uranus</a>, and <a href=\"https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/08/22/webbs-jupiter-images-showcase-auroras-hazes/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"(Opens in a new tab)\">Jupiter</a>. NASA is now inviting scientists to help it select a new round of astronomical objects to target using the space telescope.</p>"
<https://www.pcmag.com/news/james-webb-space-telescope-captures-saturn-and-its-gassy-methane-body>