Stunning Jupiter Images from NASA’s James Webb Telescope (Pics)

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Category: Earth, Air, Space Science

Published on Tuesday, 23 August 2022 17:22

Written by Janet Walker

NASA's James Webb Telescope, the world's largest and most powerful, continues to dazzle amateurs space buffs, astronomers, scientists, and astronauts everywhere with its dynamic images of deep space and the solar system including the recently released images of Jupiter.

"We hadn't really expected it to be this good, to be honest," said planetary astronomer Imke de Pater, professor emerita of the University of California, Berkeley. "It's really remarkable that we can see details on Jupiter together with its rings, tiny satellites, and even galaxies in one image," she said," reported NASA. 

James Webb Space Telescope Continues To Dazzle (Pics)

Webb NIRCam composite image of Jupiter from three filters – F360M (red), F212N (yellow-green), and F150W2 (cyan) – and alignment due to the planet’s rotation. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; image processing by Judy Schmidt.

The well-defined images with recognizable marking, have been colored coded with infrared to pinpoint Jupiter's distinct locations. To highlight Jupiter's north and south pole, green and yellow infrared is used; the red, which actually appear pink in the images are the clouds and upper atmosphere haze, the blues showcases reflected light.

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Essentially, Jupiter in this image resembles a layered sand sculpture, with each color representing an element of the planet. The common and well recognized swirling storm appears in white, in the bottom right. The size of this storm is large enough to consumer the earth.

Left: Jupiter, center, and its moons Europa, Thebe, and Metis are seen through the James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam instrument 2.12 micron filter. Right: Jupiter and Europa, Thebe, and Metis are seen through NIRCam's 3.23 micron filter. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and B. Holler and J. Stansberry (STScI).

The images coming from the James Webb Telescope are electrifying and energizing scientists and amateur stargazers around the world. From its July 2022 debut, the images of deep space and distant galaxies have surprised audiences worldwide.

Webb NIRCam composite image from two filters – F212N (orange) and F335M (cyan) – of Jupiter system, unlabeled. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; image processing by Ricardo Hueso (UPV/EHU) and Judy Schmidt.

The expectation for the James Webb is that scientists will come to understand more about space, and continue exploring the eight planets in the solar system, and the Carina Nubula, (the birthplace of stars). The final frontier has become a reality and audiences are enthused and inspired at the capabilities. 

NASA Unveils Deep Space Images from James Webb Telescope (Pics)

Webb NIRCam composite image from two filters – F212N (orange) and F335M (cyan) – of Jupiter system, labeled. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; image processing by Ricardo Hueso (UPV/EHU) and Judy Schmidt.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the world's largest, most powerful, and most complex space science telescope ever built. Webb will solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it.

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Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.