The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has provided two new and surprisingly accurate images of Jupiter, showing its giant storms and fierce winds, and providing scientists with additional clues about life inside the planet.
NASA celebrated Monday the quality of the details, which according to Emeke de Pater, University of California professor emeritus and co-director of observations, They weren’t expected to be “so good”.
The released images allow us to see that the aurora borealis extend at high altitudes above the north and south poles of Jupiter. These images come from the Near Infrared Camera (NIRcam), which has three infrared filters.
How Infrared light is invisible to the human eye, this light is set to the visible spectrum. Longer wavelengths tend to appear redder and shorter wavelengths bluer.
In this footage, the “Great Red Spot” is clearly seen, a very large sandstorm according to NASA. “It can swallow the earth”, And that this time it looks white because it reflects a lot of sunlight.
Webb scientist Heidi Hamill notes in the statement that the brightness is a sign of high altitude, so this large spot has “high altitude fog.”
In the pictures you can also see the rings of Jupiter, “A million times weaker than the planet”, According to the observation, and two small moons named Amalthea and Adrasthea.
The researchers have already begun to analyze the incoming data, which does not arrive on Earth in an organized package, but must be translated into images.
The latter two have been addressed by Judy Schmidt, who has collaborated with Ricardo Hueso on one displays of the planet’s small satellites, and whose research at the University of the Basque Country deals with the study of the planet’s atmosphere.
The James Webb Space Telescope is a joint mission of NASA with the European Union (ESA), Canada (CSA) and It was released in December of last year.
It is the largest ever sent into space, provides an unprecedented view of the universe at near-infrared, mid-infrared and infrared wavelengths, and will make it possible to study a variety of celestial bodies, from neighboring galaxies to the most. far in the universe.
New buyer photos acquired by Tweet embed The planet’s features stand out, including the turbulent Great Red Spot (shown in white here). These images have been processed by citizen scientist Judy Schmidt: https://t.co/vSqRtj3ajy pic.twitter.com/ULAoS295kB
– NASA in Spanish (@NASA_es) August 22 2022
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