The James Webb Space Telescope turns its attention to Neptune, right in our own extended neighborhood:
Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Yes, Neptune has rings, more visible in this infrared view than in the visible spectrum. The big star to the upper left is actually Neptune’s moon Triton, and the other stars are other moons. I particularly liked this:
Neptune’s 164-year orbit means its northern pole, at the top of this image, is just out of view for astronomers, but the Webb images hint at an intriguing brightness in that area. A previously-known vortex at the southern pole is evident in Webb’s view, but for the first time Webb has revealed a continuous band of high-latitude clouds surrounding it.
It’s always good to have a bit of mystery to pursue.
