Ringed Neptune captured by James Webb telescope

NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI

New images of Neptune have been returned by the recently launched super space telescope.

The observatory's instruments show features that have not been seen before.

There are rings and dust bands around the ice giant.

Something novel about the workings of Neptune's atmosphere is what scientists are interested in.

Seven of the giant's 14 moons can be seen beyond the planet.

In the imagery, it looks like a star.

Neptune is dark in the telescope's view because it absorbs methane at the right wavelength. It reflects 70% of the sunlight that hits it. The light is very bright.

NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI

Everyone is trying to interpret this on their phones, but it's amazing to see those rings, and we're accessing wavelengths that no one has seen before.

He told the news that he was happy to see how excited everyone was.

The long wavelength could give us a glimpse of the deep circulation patterns, with a bright equatorial band that looks a bit like Jupiter and Saturn.

Neptune's powerful storms are as active as ever, and the whole Neptune family is represented here.

Neptune is the smallest planet in the Solar System, but it is also the largest.

It takes 164.8 years to complete one revolution because it takes 4.5 billion km to circle the sun.

It has the same atmosphere as the other Solar System giants. There is ice, water, ammonia, and methane.

Neptune is four times larger than Earth.

NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI

The US, European and Canadian space agencies are collaborating on a project called JAMES WEBB.