![]() ![]() ![]() These new observations from the Webb telescope "are just a hint at what this observatory will add to Saturn's story in the coming years," NASA says, "as the science team delves deep into the data to prepare peer-reviewed results. In the future, additional and deeper exposures from Webb will help astronomers examine fainter rings around Saturn, according to NASA. Over the years, Saturn's atmosphere and rings have been observed by other missions such as NASA's Pioneer 11, Voyagers 1 and 2, the Cassini spacecraft and the Hubble Space Telescope. This latest detailed image comes just weeks after the Webb telescope spotted a record-breaking water plume erupting from Saturn's moon Enceladus, which feeds Saturn's diffuse E ring, according to NASA. Launched on Christmas Day in 2021, Webb can study the beginning of time more closely, hunt for unobserved formations among the first galaxies, and peer inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are currently forming. The brightening near the edge of Saturn's disk might be due to high-altitude methane fluorescence (the process of emitting light after absorbing light) or emissions in the planet's ionosphere or both. But the darker-than-usual appearance of the Northern Hemisphere could be from "an unknown seasonal process affecting polar aerosols in particular," NASA says. Unexpectedly, "the large, diffuse structures in the Northern Hemisphere do not follow the planet's lines of latitude, so this image is lacking the familiar striped appearance that is typically seen from Saturn's deeper atmospheric layers," according to NASA.ĭifferences in the looks of Saturn's northern and southern poles are normal, according to NASA, as the northern region experiences summertime while the Southern Hemisphere is exiting winter darkness. These exposures test Webb's ability to spot faint moons around the planet and its rings, since any newly discovered moons could help scientists better understand Saturn's present and past systems. To actually discern the rings as separate from the body of the planet requires at least 40x magnification, which means only a binocular telescope, equipped with. The image was taken with Webb's Near-Infrared Camera, known as NIRCam, as part of a Webb program that involves several exceptionally deep exposures of Saturn, according to NASA. The near-infrared observations of the ringed planet are a first for the highly sensitive telescope, according to NASA - which, at 1.5 million kilometres (nearly 932,000 miles) from Earth, observes the universe with wavelengths of light longer than those of other space telescopes. The Cassini division is the largest of the gaps in Saturn's ring system. Saturn's moons Dione, Enceladus and Tethys dot the left side, while the Cassini division, Encke gap and rings A, B, C and F are shown on the right side. After that, Saturn will start to be visible only in the evenings. When Saturn is in opposition, it will be visible all night long. Over time, Saturn will be visible earlier and earlier. In March, Saturn will be visible for about an hour before the sun comes up. The rings, however, remain bright, creating the "unusual appearance" of the planet in this photo, according to NASA. From March through August, Saturn will be visible before sunrise. ![]() In the image, Saturn itself appears extremely dark due to the near-total absorption of sunlight by methane gas. Of course the larger XL’s, that are capable of higher magnifications, will do even better.Astronomers have discovered surprising details about Saturn's atmosphere, using a new image captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. So the answer to the question “How much will I need to spend to see Saturn’s rings?” is- $2100 plus shipping. To conclude, the least-expensive tripod that can properly support the BT-70XL-ED is the Oberwerk 5000 ($300). But while small, it’s really something special when you see that planet with your own two eyeballs, hanging in space in 3D! When we do astronomy outreach using our binocular telescopes, people almost always gasp when they see Saturn for the first time, followed up by “OMG, is that real?” Now after seeing all those Hubble shots of Saturn, that image below may be a little disappointing. Our least-expensive binocular telescope, the BT-70XL-ED ($1495), equipped with our 7mm eyepieces ($300), operates at 56x- which will show Saturn’s rings quite well (similar to the night sky image below). To actually discern the rings as separate from the body of the planet requires at least 40x magnification, which means only a binocular telescope, equipped with high-magnification eyepieces, can truly show the rings of Saturn. First of all, you can see Saturn with any binocular- but with most binoculars, Saturn is so small that it appears as a tiny football-shaped object (that’s “American football”- not soccer). So- you’d like to be able to see the rings of Saturn, and you’d like to know how much you’ll have to spend on a binocular that can do that? We’re asked that question all the time. ![]()
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