From the «portal, Uranus, the joke writes itself» department:
Feed: Engadget
Title: Webb telescope’s new Uranus image looks like a portal to another
dimension
Author: Will Shanklin
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2023 13:10:35 -0500
Link: https://www.engadget.com/webb-telescopes-new-uranus-image-looks-like-a-portal-to-another-dimension-181035887.html?src=rss

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has a treat to celebrate the upcoming
second anniversary of its launch[1]. NASA[2] and the European Space Agency[3]
(ESA), which operate the craft alongside the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), shared
a recent image of the icy planet Uranus. The picture, resembling a glowing blue
marble rippling into a black ocean, was funneled through the telescope’s
infrared filters to capture wavelengths future space travelers wouldn’t see with
the naked eye.

Compared with the generic-looking images of Uranus taken[4] by Voyager 2[5] in
the 1980s, the Webb telescope paints a more vivid picture. Capturing light in
the infrared spectrum, the craft’s sensors reveal a “strange and dynamic ice
world filled with exciting, atmospheric features,” as the team operating the
telescope described it.

The JWST’s image showcases the planet’s rings surrounding the planet, including
“the elusive Zeta ring,” Uranus’ faint and scattered innermost one. You can also
catch its north polar cloud cap, the white blob near the center.
[image 6]NASA / ESA / CSA

The image also captures 14 of Uranus’ 27 moons, labeled in the photo above.
Among the (mostly Shakespearean-named) orbiting bodies pictured are Oberon,
Titania, Umbriel, Juliet, Perdita, Rosalind, Puck, Belinda, Desdemona, Cressida,
Ariel, Miranda, Bianca and Portia.

The JWST’s photo uses four NIRCam filters[7], revealing detail in the
near-infrared spectrum. These include F140M (blue), F210M (cyan), F300M (yellow)
and F460M (orange). An image NASA shared[8] earlier this year showed Uranus in
only two filters (blue and orange), resulting in a more primitive-looking view
of the icy giant.

Speaking of ice, Uranus has loads of it. The planet rotates on its side at about
98 degrees, plunging the opposite side of the planet into extreme cold and
darkness for a quarter of a Uranian year. Oh, and since Uranian years last
around 84 Earth years, that means, by our calendar, the planet’s dark side
enjoys a blustery 21-year winter.
[image 9]NASA / ESA / CSA

Astronomers believe the Webb telescope’s images will help them better understand
Uranus, especially its Zeta ring, for future missions. They also view the
pictures as a proxy for learning about the nearly 2,000 documented
exoplanets[10] in other solar systems that share traits with our ringed and icy
neighbor.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/webb-te
lescopes-new-uranus-image-looks-like-a-portal-to-another-dimension-181035887.htm
l?src=rss

Links:
[1]: https://www.engadget.com/nasa-james-webb-space-telescope-launch-123452649.html (link)
[2]: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-rings-in-holidays-with-ringed-planet-uranus/ (link)
[3]: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Webb/Webb_rings_in_the_holidays_with_the_ringed_planet_Uranus (link)
[4]: https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/galleries/images-voyager-took/uranus/ (link)
[5]: https://www.engadget.com/nasa-regains-contact-with-voyager-2-after-it-went-dark-for-two-weeks-074447578.html (link)
[6]: https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-12/b1b35d90-9dce-11ee-bb5a-d64bae36628d (image)
[7]: https://www.engadget.com/james-webb-telescope-jupiter-images-072407786.html (link)
[8]: https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2023/news-2023-117?news=true (link)
[9]: https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-12/25482b80-9dcc-11ee-abff-af1a951555a5 (image)
[10]: https://www.engadget.com/2017-02-22-nasa-we-found-7-earth-sized-planets-just-40-light-years-away.html (link)