Aurora borealis and rings on a detailed photo of Jupiter

On Monday, the new, high-powered James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) gave the world this detailed image of the planet Jupiter and its surroundings. This photo of Jupiter is unique because it simultaneously shows bright details of Jupiter and fainter details of its surroundings in a single photo. The photo was taken with the near infrared camera on board and edited by amateur astronomer Judy Schmidt.

JWST is the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built and is the result of a collaboration between the United States (NASA), Europe (ESA) and Canada (CSA). Due to its large mirror (6.5 meters wide), JWST is even more sensitive than its predecessor Hubble.

JWST provides so much detail that Jupiter’s dark rings can also be seen. The light from these rings is a million times fainter than that from the planet itself. Two of Jupiter’s twelve moons are also visible: Amalthea and Adrastea, two white dots on the left of the image. Adrastea is only about twenty kilometers in diameter. The faint white dots at the bottom are thought to be distant galaxies.

Chemical composition

Aurora can be seen at both poles. The white vortex to the right below Jupiter’s equator is known as the Great Red Spot, a tornado so big it could theoretically swallow Earth. The storm is white in this photo due to reflected sunlight. Small white oval spots are smaller storms.

While the Great Red Spot and other storms have already been described, JWST offers planetary scientists a new perspective. JWST shoots with infrared light. People can’t see it with the naked eye. By observing auroras, the Great Red Spot and other storms in infrared light, planetary scientists learn about their chemical composition and temperature.

In the portrait of Jupiter above, made up of multiple JWST images, the aurora appears as an orange glow at both poles. The yellow and green areas are nebulae hanging around the poles.

The light areas of the photo are higher than the dark areas. The bright white stripes and patches are likely high cloud tops. Dark areas, like just above the equator, are likely to see less cloudiness.

To bring out the details in the photo, amateur astronomer Judy Schmidt added false colors to the photo.