Heidi Hammel, a Neptune system expert and interdisciplinary scientist for Webb said in a statement, “it has been three decades since we last saw these faint, dusty rings, and this is the first time we have seen them in the infrared."
It is important to note that Neptune is located 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth, and orbits in the remote, dark region of the outer solar system. The planet is characterised as an ice giant due to the chemical make-up of its interior. Compared to the gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn, Neptune is much richer in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium.
This is readily apparent in Neptune's signature blue appearance in Hubble Space Telescope images at visible wavelengths, caused by small amounts of gaseous methane. Webb's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) images objects in the near-infrared range from 0.6 to 5 microns, so Neptune does not appear blue to the telescope. Images from other observatories, including the Hubble Space Telescope and the W.M. Keck Observatory, have recorded these rapidly evolving cloud features over the years.
According to the PTI report, a previously-known vortex at the southern pole is evident in Webb's view, but for the first time the telescope has revealed a continuous band of high-latitude clouds surrounding it. Webb also captured seven of Neptune's 14 known moons. A very bright point of light seen in Webb’s images is Neptune's large and unusual moon, Triton.
(With inputs from PTI)
