One of two new images of Jupiter captured by the James Webb space telescope
(Picture: NASA)Spectacular new images of Jupiter have been captured by NASA’s James Webb space telescope.
Featuring “two moons, rings, and distant galaxies”, NASA says the images will help uncover clues to the inner life of the planet.
Planetary astronomer Imke de Pater, professor emerita of the University of California, Berkeley, told NASA: “We hadn’t really expected it to be this good, to be honest.
“It’s really remarkable that we can see details on Jupiter together with its rings, tiny satellites, and even galaxies in one image.”
The James Webb Space Telescope launched on Christmas Day 2021 and is said to be the largest, most powerful ever built.
It was created as part of an international programme by NASA - along with the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency - designed to help scientists solve some of the mysteries of the universe.
The two new images of Jupiter were taken using an infrared camera, to help showcase the planet’s details.
As infrared light is not visible to the human eye, the images have been artificially coloured.
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot - a persistent storm in the planet’s atmosphere - appears white in the pictures along with clouds, due to sunlight they are reflecting.
