Sep 4, 2022
Side-by-side Jupiter images show James Webb’s infrared prowess. It spots auroras, rings, and faint galaxies Hubble can’t see clearly
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: space
While Hubble can spot Jupiter’s auroras when capturing ultraviolet light, Webb’s infrared image shows the auroras in greater detail.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” O’Donoghue said, adding, “I can’t quite believe we’ve got that shot from such a vast distance. It really speaks to how effective JWST is at picking up faint light.”
Webb’s new images of Jupiter show two of the planet’s moons, Amalthea and Adrastea, the smaller of the two, measures just 12 miles across, according to NASA. In comparison, Hubble’s image of Jupiter shows the planet’s ocean-filled moon, Europa, which measures 1,940 miles across.