Images of Jupiter taken by NASA's potent new James Webb satellite telescope show the gas giant in stunning detail. The organization claimed in a blog post about the photographs that they will provide researchers with much more information about Jupiter's interior. The photographs, which were taken on July 27, have been digitally altered and unnaturally colored to draw attention to certain features. They offer an unprecedented glimpse of the auroras above Jupiter's north and south poles as well as some decorative patterns around the Great Red Spot.
Planetary scientist Imke de Pater, professor emerita of the University of California, Berkeley, is described by NASA in its blog as saying, "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," she added.
The latest images have been captured by the James Webb observatory's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), which has three specialised infrared filters that showcase details of the planet.About the auroras, NASA said that extend to high altitudes above both the northern and southern poles of Jupiter. "The auroras shine in a filter that is mapped to redder colors, which also highlights light reflected from lower clouds and upper hazes. A different filter, mapped to yellows and greens, shows hazes swirling around the northern and southern poles. A third filter, mapped to blues, showcases light that is reflected from a deeper main cloud."