Scientists are very interested in a unique feature that develops every Uranian summer: a polar cap that appears on the side facing the sun. Half of the planet is plunged into a 21-year-long winter every Uranian year. That means the planet looks like it rotates sideways as it travels around the sun.īecause it takes Uranus 82 years to orbit the sun, its seasons are very long-lasting. Uranus is a slightly bizarre planet in that it is tilted about 100 degrees with respect to its orbit around the sun, possibly the result of an Earth-sized moon smashing it off its orbit millennia ago.

JWST's image also provides a good look at Uranus's mysterious polar cap. It's not just Uranus's rings that are getting attention NASA hopes the two fainter outer rings will be visible to JWST next time it turns its attention to Uranus. Since JWST launched on December 25, 2021, it has provided some stunning views of the universe. Webb's much larger mirror means its pictures can provide better resolution images than Hubble's in infrared, the spectrum of light used to take these pictures of Uranus. Hubble sees ultraviolet light, visible light, and a small slice of infrared, while JWST looks at the universe across the infrared spectrum, Insider previously reported. The rings as spotted by Hubble in 2007-2008 NASA, ESA, and M. The new image features dramatic rings as well as bright.

'The Webb data demonstrates the observatory's unprecedented sensitivity for the faintest dusty rings, which have only ever been imaged by two other facilities: the Voyager 2 spacecraft as it flew past the planet in 1986, and the Keck Observatory with advanced adaptive optics,' NASA said in a press release April 6. The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has taken a stunning image of the Solar System’s other ice giant, the planet Uranus. Side-by-side images show once again how much more powerful JWST is than NASA's other space observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, when it comes to infrared imaging. The pictures show a whole new side of the planet with the powerful space observatory capturing 11 of the icy giant's 13 rings in unprecedented detail. NASA recently released a new picture of Uranus snapped by its powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The picture could shed light on the planet's unique and mysterious polar cap, NASA said. JWST's picture shows 11 of the icy giant's 13 rings in unprecedented detail. NASA has turned its powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on Uranus. Wong (UC Berkeley), NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI. NASA, ESA, STScI, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC), Michael H. Uranus' rings can be seen in far greater detail by JWST. Images taken by Hubble space telescope (left) and JWST (right) of Uranus in 20, respectively.

Uranus nasa images