Each planet in the Solar System is marvelous in its own way, having features that make it unique. Among the eight planets, Saturn has captured the interest of experts due to its prominent set of rings that can be observed in backyard telescopes. Several space probes have provided us with the stunning images of the second largest planet of our star system.
First JWST Image of Saturn
On June 30, NASA released the first official image of Saturn captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), giving a whole new light on the gas giant. The photo was taken by the NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument of the observatory on June 25.
The image shows Saturn appearing extremely dark at the infrared wavelength observed by the instrument. This is because almost all of the sunlight reaching the atmosphere of the gas giant is being absorbed by the methane gas. However, the icy rings remain relatively bright which makes the strange appearance of Saturn in the JWST image.
The newly released image was taken as part of the Webb Guaranteed Time Observation program 1247. This program involves very deep exposures of Saturn with the goal of testing the capacity of James Webb Space Telescope in spotting the faint moons and bright rings around the gas giant. Discovering any new moons could help the scientists in putting together a complete picture of the current system of Saturn as well as its past.
Although the JWST image highlights the glowing rings of Saturn, it also reveals three of its 145 known moon, namely Dione, Enceladus, and Tethys. Among these moons, Enceladus is of particular interest to astronomers because it was initially though to possess an ocean of liquid water below its icy shell. The Cassini probe discovered a dramatic event in 2005 where Enceladus blasts some of these water into space through the geysers near the south pole.
The James Webb Space Telescope was designed to explore the deep regions of space and give new insights into some of the first stars and galaxies in the universe. Since it was launched by the observatory on December 25, 2021, the 10-billion-dollar telescope has sent images captured during its exploration such as Uranus as well as Jupiter and its polar auroras.
READ ALSO: 62 New Moons Discovered Orbiting Saturn, Totaling to 145 and Overthrowing Jupiter's Record
Space Explorations Missions in Saturn
The ancient Assyrians are credited with the oldest written records that document the ringed planet, but it was the Romans who named it Saturn after their god of agriculture. In the 17th century, scientists, such as Galileo Galilei, Christiaan Huygens, and Jean-Dominique Cassini, made thorough observations of its ring system.
On September 1, 1979, Pioneer 11 became the first spacecraft to reach Saturn, discovering two new moons and the so-called F ring. Twin probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 followed up with their flybys in 1980 and 1981, respectively. These spacecraft reveal the intricate details of the ring system, including their thinness and the presence of the thousand ringlets.
Cassini spacecraft became the first to orbit the gas giant on July 1, 2004, and has revealed many secrets about the planet during the 13-year orbital mission. On January 14, 2005, the Huygens probe from the European Space Agency made the first soft landing on the surface of Titan, one of Saturn's moons.
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