Of Course Saturn Brought Its Ring Light.

The background is mostly dark. At the center is a dark orange-brownish circle, surrounded by several blazing bright, thick, horizontal whiteish rings. This is Saturn and its rings. There are three tiny organ-like dots in the image—one to the upper left of the planet, one to the direct left of the planet, and the lower left of the planet. These are some of Saturn’s moons: Dione, Enceladus, and Tethys, respectively. There is a slightly darker tint at the northern and southern poles of the planet. The rings surrounding Saturn are mostly broad, with a few singular narrow gaps between the broader rings. The innermost, darkest band is the C ring. Next to that is the brighter, wider B ring. Traveling farther outward, a small dark gap, the Cassini division creates a space before another thicker ring called the A ring. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, M. Tiscareno (SETI Institute), M. Hedman (University of Idaho), M. El Moutamid (Cornell University), M. Showalter (SETI Institute), L. Fletcher (University of Leicester), H. Hammel (AURA); image processing by J. DePasquale (STScI)

Of course Saturn brought its ring light.

On June 25, 2023, our James Webb Space Telescope made its first near-infrared observations of Saturn. The planet itself appears extremely dark at this infrared wavelength, since methane gas absorbs almost all the sunlight falling on the atmosphere. The icy rings, however, stay relatively bright, leading to Saturn’s unusual appearance in this image.

This new image of Saturn clearly shows details within the planet’s ring system, several of the planet’s moons (Dione, Enceladus, and Tethys), and even Saturn’s atmosphere in surprising and unexpected detail.

These observations from Webb are just a hint at what this observatory will add to Saturn’s story in the coming years as the science team delves deep into the data to prepare peer-reviewed results.

Download the full-resolution image, both labeled and unlabeled, from the Space Telescope Science Institute.

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Do you like the color of the Sun?

The color order of the Sun: At the top of the image and going all the way down, we see the colors, yellow gold, rustic gold, orange, a fiery red orange, magenta, purple, dark blue, light blue, green, yellow, and gray. There are coronal loops, sunspots, and solar flares depicted on the surface of the Sun. Credit: NASA

Get ready to be dazzled by the true spectrum of solar beauty. From fiery reds to cool blues, explore the vibrant hues of the Sun in a mesmerizing color order. These images were taken in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light to clearly see any activity on the surface of the Sun — giving scientists a wealth of data for solar studies.

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akagispear

1 year ago

“Eat it, she says. It’s knowledge. From dead cultures. It’s also blood.”

— Alice Notley, from ‘Songs and Stories of the Ghouls’

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akagispear

1 year ago

Emotionally or mentally?

I need to be horizontal.

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akagispear

10 months ago

Stay true to yourself and all that, unless you're a little freaky, then you gotta go in the hole.

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akagispear

1 month ago

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akagispear

1 year ago

sorry boss i can’t come in to work i have lavender town syndrome

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akagispear

1 year ago

Yes. Is this a problem.

i like them FRAGILE with the disposition of a WOUNDED DOG THAT WANTS TO BITE ME but with a sweet side that will show ONLY after i've fed them enough pepperonis

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akagispear

1 year ago

Not just women.

fish fear me, god hates me, women want me for my capricious behavior and nasty demeanor

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