Neptune and its rings shown in striking new light by Webb telescope - The Guardian

Farthest planet from sun and its satellites revealed in unprecedented detail by space telescope’s infrared imager.

The James Webb space telescope has turned its gaze away from the deep universe towards our home solar system, capturing an image of a luminous Neptune and its delicate, dusty rings in detail not seen in decades.

Now Webb’s unprecedented infrared imaging capability has provided a new glimpse into Neptune’s atmosphere, said Mark McCaughrean, a senior adviser for science and exploration at the European Space Agency.

The telescope “takes all that glare and background away” so that “we can start to tease out the atmospheric composition” of the planet, said McCaughrean, who has worked on the Webb project for more than 20 years.