2023-12-19 14:19:42
NASA Unveils Spectacular Photos of Uranus, Showcasing Rare Rings
The NASA space agency has released breathtaking new images of Uranus, the seventh planet in our solar system, revealing the planet’s stunning beauty and showcasing a rare and brilliant ring that is rarely seen.
Taken by the James Webb Space Telescope – the sharpest yet built – the photos capture Uranus in all its glory, showcasing the planet’s many rings, nine of its 27 known moons, and a seasonal polar dome. The images also reveal for the first time the elusive and hidden atmospheric ring “Zeta,” made of dark matter such as carbon and nitrogen, which appears reddish-brown in color due to the effect of sunlight on its materials.
The photos also show other rings of Uranus glowing deep blue, due to the effect of ice and ammonia on the materials in them. The Webb telescope penetrates deep into the atmosphere of Uranus, capturing storms in the seasonal north pole and a huge cloud dome, which strengthens as the north pole of Uranus is exposed to more sunlight towards the equinox in 2028.
Uranus boasts the most extreme seasons in the solar system, thanks to its sideways rotation at an inclination of nearly 98 degrees. While the sun warms the North Pole, the other side is plunged into darkness for 21 long years.
“With the incredible resolution and sharpness capabilities of the Webb, astronomers are discovering completely unknown details about Uranus,” NASA told the New York Post. “This data, especially about the Zeta ring, will be essential for planning future missions to this fascinating planet.”
In addition to the uniqueness of the Uranus images, NASA hopes to use them to learn more about the 2,000 exoplanets of similar size that have been discovered in recent decades and how they were formed. “This knowledge will, in turn, help us better understand our solar system in the broader context,” the agency added.
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