Using sophisticated space telescopes, astronomers watched the change from summer to autumn on the planet Saturn. Photo/NASA/Space
FLORIDA – Using sophisticated space telescopes, astronomers watched summer change to fall season on the planet Saturn. Each season on the planet Saturn lasts 7.5 years, because one year on this ice ring planet is the same as 29.4 years on Earth.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe seasonal changes in Saturn carried out in November 2022. A research team led by scientists from the University of Leicester observed a cooling trend on Saturn caused by air flows that reverse direction as the seasons change.
“There has never been a spacecraft that has explored Saturn in late summer and autumn, so we hope this is an important starting point for research,” said University of Leicester Faculty of Physics and Astronomy professor, Leigh Fletcher, quoted by SINDOnews from the Space page, Thursday (14 /9/2023).
“The quality of the new data from JWST is truly amazing — in one short series of observations, we were able to continue the legacy of the Cassini mission into a whole new Saturn season, observing how weather patterns and atmospheric circulation respond to changing sunlight.”
Astronomers made observations of Saturn using the JWST Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). MIRI allowed a team of scientists to measure the temperature of Saturn’s atmosphere and see traces of chemicals within it.
Saturn takes 29.4 Earth years to orbit the sun, which causes the seasons to last about 7.5 Earth years. These James Webb Space Telescope observations give scientists new insight into the long seasons and the phenomenon when the seasons begin to change on Saturn.
JWST’s observations complement data collected by NASA’s Cassini–Huygens (Cassini) spacecraft. The Cassini spacecraft has observed the gas giant planet for 13 years during winter and spring.
The new JWST observations have been compiled in an animation showing how the appearance of the gas giant changes at different wavelengths of light. Like the transition from summer to autumn which can be seen from the yellowing of the leaves of trees on Earth.
In the recording, the thermal emissions of the planet’s north pole are represented by bright blue, while the yellow represents the bright and warm part of Saturn’s atmosphere. The temperature contrast can be seen from the purple areas which represent the cooler and darker parts of the planet’s atmosphere.
(wib)
2023-09-14 11:33:57
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