IN PICTURE. Saturn seen by the James Webb Space Telescope | Science & Planet

The James Webb Space Telescope captured this image of the gold-ringed planet in the darkness of our solar system on June 25. Unlike other photos of Saturn, the rings light up, but the planet itself is much darker and its characteristic cloud bands are no longer visible.

That’s because James Webb views our universe in infrared, a wavelength of light invisible to the human eye. By looking at our planets in a different way, scientists hope to discover many new things.

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Saturn itself appears so dim in infrared light because the planet’s methane gas absorbs almost all of the sunlight that shines on its atmosphere. The ice rings around the gas giant will remain clear. If you look a little closer, you can also spot some of Saturn’s moons. To the left of the planet, 3 moons are visible: Dione, Tethys and Enceladus. Phosphorus, a substance essential to make life possible, was recently found on the latter.

Scientists hope to identify new ring structures and perhaps even discover new moons around Saturn (which already has nearly 150). For example, it can also tell us something about the seasonal changes of the planet. For example, the polar region is noticeably dimmer as the northern hemisphere nears the end of its 7-year summer. At the edge of the planet, you will again see a bright glow. This could be the result of methane fluorescence, trihydrogen glow, or possibly both.

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