Hey, House Placers!
Webb’s Close to-Infrared Digicam (NIRCam) picture of Neptune, taken on July 12, 2022, brings the planet’s rings into full focus for the primary time in additional than three a long time.
Essentially the most distinguished options of Neptune’s ambiance on this picture are a collection of shiny patches within the planet’s southern hemisphere that characterize high-altitude methane-ice clouds. Extra subtly, a skinny line of brightness circling the planet’s equator might be a visible signature of worldwide atmospheric circulation that powers Neptune’s winds and storms. Moreover, for the primary time, Webb has teased out a steady band of high-latitude clouds surrounding a previously-known vortex at Neptune’s southern pole.
NIRCam was constructed by a workforce on the College of Arizona and Lockheed Martin’s Superior Know-how Middle.
