NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captures new images of Jupiter

Tags: Science and Technology

NASA has released unprecedented images of the planet Jupiter taken by the James Webb Telescope, the world's most powerful telescope, which scientists hope to give more information about the planet.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• In this picture, many other features of the planet Jupiter have come out, usually the Great Red Spot, which looks red in color, is seen in white.

• In the picture, the brightness of the aurora i.e. Northern and Southern Lights are visible at the north and south poles of the planet Jupiter.

• Apart from this, in a wide-field picture, all parts of this planet are visible in a line.

• Its dim ring and two of its satellites i.e. the moons Amarthea and Adrastea are visible. Shining stars are visible in the galaxy behind them.

About Jupiter Planet :

• Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. 

• Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are called Jovian or gas giant planets. It is composed mostly of hydrogen and helium.

• It has rings, but they’re very hard to see.

• It has 79 confirmed moons.

• It is the fifth planet from the Sun, that means Mars and Saturn are Jupiter’s neighbouring planets.

• It rotates once in about 10 hours (a Jovian day), but takes about 12 Earth years to complete one orbit of the Sun (a Jovian year).

• It has large storms like the Great Red Spot, which have lasted for hundreds of years.

James Webb Space Telescope :

• NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope was launched by rocket on 25 December 2021 from South America’s north-eastern coast.

• It is the most powerful infrared telescope ever launched by NASA.

• It has been built in collaboration with NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency.

• It has opened a new era of astronomy.

• Its goal is to search for the first galaxies that formed after the Big Bang.

• It will reveal new and unexpected discoveries, and help to understand the origins of the universe and the human position.

• It reached its destination in solar orbit about 1.6 million km from Earth after travelling 2 weeks in space. 

• It is also considered a successor of the Hubble Telescope which was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990.