The Hubble Space Telescope has been taking pictures of Jupiter for decades, but new Jupiter images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope in August invite comparison. Stunning new details of the gas giant that Hubble couldn't detect are revealed by the shots taken by the two men.
James O'Donoghue, a planetary scientist from the Japan Aeronautical Exploration Agency, told Insider thatJWST isn't giving us something clearer than Hubble, but it is giving us something different. I think of it as giving us a sense of direction.
The successor to Hubble was launched on December 25, 2021. Since that time, the $10 billion telescope has traveled more than 1 million miles from Earth and is now in a stable position, peering at objects that are more than 13 billion years old.
New details of Jupiter's storm systems, rings, and tiny moons can be found in the images from the Hubble Telescope.
The new Jupiter images were captured using the NearInfrared Camera ( ) which converts theIR light into colors the eye can see. The image of Jupiter was colored to make it look different. Light reflected from clouds is blue, while the planet's stunning Auroras are highlighted in red. The Great Red Spot of Jupiter is so bright that it looks white.
The Hubble Space Telescope can see Jupiter'sAuroras. The Hubble Telescope captured optical observations of the northern lights.
The image shows the Auroras in greater detail.
Auroras aren't unique to Earth. According to NASA, Jupiter has the best Auroras in the Solar System. Auroras occur when charged particles, such as protons or electrons, interact with the magnetic field around a planet. Jupiter's magnetic field is more powerful than Earth's.
The upper atmosphere of Jupiter is studied by O'Donoghue in his research. O'Donoghue said that they can see Jupiter'sAuroras in the extended upper atmosphere.
While Hubble can spot Jupiter's auroras when they are visible in the ultraviolet light, it is not possible to see them in theIR.
"I can't believe we've got that shot from such a long way away," O'Donoghue said. It shows how effective the JWST is at picking up light.
Two of Jupiter's moons are shown in the new images. NASA says Adrastea is 12 miles across. Hubble's image of Jupiter shows the planet's largest moon, which is 1,940 miles across.
Astronomers believe it is a good place to look for life in our solar system.
The images of icy Europa that were released in July were taken at a different angle. The Jupiter image shows two smaller moons which can be seen more clearly in the sky. NASA says that Jupiter has 78 moons.
O'Donoghue said that this is his favorite image of Jupiter.
The newly released images show Jupiter's thin rings, which are made of dust particles formed when Jupiter's moons were hit.
The image of the JWST is stunning, according to an astronomer. The contrast is amazing, as you can see the incredibly faint rings, as well as the much brighter planet.
According to NASA, the fuzzy spots at the bottom of the frame are likely the result of a photobomb. There are faint galaxies hidden in Hubble's picture of Jupiter, which shows the planet and its moon in a black area.
It is possible for it to see far into the past because of its ability to gather invisible light. One of the main goals of the new telescope is to find distant galaxies that are so far away that they can't be seen by the naked eye.
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