James Webb: Space telescope reveals ‘incredible’ Jupiter views

The largest and most potent space telescope in the world has provided previously unheard-of views of Jupiter. In July, images of the largest planet in the solar system were captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

The photographs depict Jupiter’s surrounding auroras, enormous storms, moons, and rings with remarkable clarity, according to researchers.

The infrared images were falsely coloured to draw attention to the details.

This is due to the fact that infrared light cannot be seen by the human eye.

“Jupiter has never been visible in such detail. Everything is quite fantastic, “said Imke de Pater, a planetary astronomer at the University of California who was instrumental in the study. To be honest, she said, “We hadn’t really anticipated it to be this fantastic.”

The JWST is a $10 billion (£8.5 billion) global mission coordinated by the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, with support from NASA in the United States.

According to NASA, auroras could be seen extending to great heights above both the northern and southern poles of Jupiter in the sole view of the planet that was produced from a composite of many telescopic photographs. The sun is responsible for the skylight displays known as auroras.

The Great Red Spot, a legendary storm that is so large it might swallow the Earth, was white at the same time. This was a result of how much sunshine it reflected.

The JWST was put into orbit in December 2021 and is now almost one million miles (1.6 million kilometres) from Earth.

It is capable of detecting light that started moving towards Earth 13 billion years ago, just after the Big Bang.

The JWST is anticipated to be a major force in discovery for at least the next 20 years and is seen as the Hubble telescope’s successor.