Pic of the Week: A New View of Jupiter

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Jupiter as captured by the JWST. (NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; image processing by Ricardo Hueso (UPV/EHU) and Judy Schmidt)

This week’s image once again comes from the new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), but instead of peering outside of our solar system, it is looking around closer to home. The image above of Jupiter is an amazing shot that shows the planet in all its glory – violent storms, glowing auroras, delicate rings, and orbiting moons. The particulars are labeled in the same image below.

The image came from the JWST’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), which NASA notes has:

…three specialized infrared filters that showcase details of the planet. Since infrared light is invisible to the human eye, the light has been mapped onto the visible spectrum. Generally, the longest wavelengths appear redder and the shortest wavelengths are shown as more blue. Scientists collaborated with citizen scientist Judy Schmidt to translate the Webb data into images. 

This is a whole new way to see our neighborhood worlds as well as the worlds many light years away.

Image (Credit): Jupiter as captured by the JWST with all of the key areas labeled. (NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; image processing by Ricardo Hueso (UPV/EHU) and Judy Schmidt)