Webb will perform a major study of Jupiter and has already imaged Neptune. Now, Webb has been used to get a fascinating look at our planetary neighbor, Mars.
Although the James Webb Space Telescope was built primarily for looking back at the earliest and most distant galaxies, it can also be used for a host of other scientific observations — including looking at targets right here in our own solar system.
It’s actually pretty difficult for Webb to study Mars because it is so close, and therefore very bright in both the visible light portion of the spectrum and in the infrared wavelengths at which Webb observes. The brightness can oversaturate the detectors which are designed to pick up very faint light sources. But Webb’s NIRCam camera was able to capture the martian surface, with two images captures at different wavelengths shown below.
The shorter wavelength image, shown at the top, is similar to a visible light image and shows features like craters and basins. The longer wavelength image, shown below, shows how the planet is radiating heat. The brightest spot is where the sun is directly overhead, with cooler regions toward the poles. The Hellas Basin also appears darker, though this isn’t because of temperature effects but rather due to the effects of altitude and air pressure.
Webb was also able to capture Mars using its spectrometry instruments. These can split light into different wavelengths to see the composition of an object — in this case, looking at the composition of the martian atmosphere as a whole. There are clear indications of carbon dioxide, water, and carbon monoxide, and what is impressive about this is how well the data fits the model of what we already know about Mars’s atmosphere.
The research using this Webb data is still being worked on and has not yet been published or peer-reviewed, so it shouldn’t be taken as definitive. But it goes to show just how versatile a tool Webb can be, with more Webb data on Mars still to come.
日本 最新ニュース, 日本 見出し
Similar News:他のニュース ソースから収集した、これに似たニュース記事を読むこともできます。
Neptune Looks Out of This World in Latest James Webb Telescope ImageNASA released an image of the planet Tuesday that it said is the clearest view of Neptune’s rings in 30 years, and put the planet in a new light.
続きを読む »
James Webb Space Telescope captures strikingly crisp images of Neptune and its rings'It has been three decades since we last saw these faint, dusty rings, and this is the first time we've seen them in the infrared,' said a Neptune expert.
続きを読む »
James Webb Space Telescope captures strikingly crisp images of Neptune and its rings'It has been three decades since we last saw these faint, dusty rings, and this is the first time we've seen them in the infrared,' said a Neptune expert.
続きを読む »
James Webb Space Telescope captures strikingly crisp images of Neptune and its rings'It has been three decades since we last saw these faint, dusty rings, and this is the first time we've seen them in the infrared,' said a Neptune expert.
続きを読む »
New images from James Webb Space Telescope showcase Neptune and its rarely seen ringsNew images from the James Webb Space Telescope show Neptune's faint, dusty rings, which have not been observed in more than 30 years.
続きを読む »
Neptune and Rings Shine in Photos From Webb Space TelescopeNeptune and its rings haven’t looked this good in decades. NASA released new glamour shots of our solar system’s outermost planet Wednesday taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. The pictures taken in July show not only Neptune’s thin rings, but its faint dust bands, never before observed in the infrared, as well as seven of its 14 known moons….
続きを読む »