<지난달 4일(현지시간) 제임스 웹 우주망원경으로 촬영한 천왕성. 사진=미 항공우주국(NASA)>
Uranus, the seventh planet in the solar system, which was previously depicted only as a blue ball without a ring, is revealing new aspects one by one thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope (hereinafter referred to as the Webb Telescope).
On the 18th (local time), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released images of Uranus taken with the Webb Telescope in February, and this time, it released a photo that captured more of Uranus’ rings by adjusting the sensitivity more precisely.
<지난달 4일(현지시간) 제임스 웹 우주망원경으로 촬영한 천왕성. 사진=미 항공우주국(NASA)><지난달 4일(현지시간) 제임스 웹 우주망원경으로 촬영한 천왕성. 위성에 이름이 표시된 버전. 사진=미 항공우주국(NASA)>
In the released photo, a total of 13 rings can be seen on the outside of Uranus, which shines blue like a cloud. Two rings that were not visible in previous observations were captured in this photo. In particular, the diffuse Zeta ring, which is closest to the planet, is difficult to find optically, but was revealed by the Webb’s infrared light.
Also, this time the north polar cap is depicted in more detail than in the previous photo. Covering the right side of the front like a hat is the North Pole. While the poles of Earth and Mars are covered with solid ice, Uranus is a gas planet, so its poles appear as a halo due to aerosols at the top of the atmosphere.
The small white dots embedded in the blue inside Uranus are warmer than the surroundings and are the center of a huge cyclone.
Small white dots can also be seen around the ring, which are all satellites of Uranus. In the upper right, clockwise from 2 o’clock, they are Rosalind, Puck, Belinda, Desdemona, Cressita, Bianca, Portia, Juliet, and Perdita. 9 out of 27 satellites were included in this photo.
Uranus is a strange planet that orbits the sun in a reclining position of 98 degrees. This is why the North Pole is not at the top and faces straight ahead in the photo. Because it lies down, for almost a quarter of a Uranian year (84 Earth years), the opposite side of the sun is very dark and cold.
Astronomers also call Uranus the “backyard exoplanet.” This is because it is expected to provide the necessary data for research on about 2,000 similar-sized exoplanets discovered over the past few decades.
“Studying Uranus will help us understand how similar-sized planets work, what their meteorology is like, and how they form,” NASA’s Webb Telescope team said.
Electronic Newspaper Internet Reporter Seo Hee-won shw@etnews.com
