December 1, 2022

2 min read

Google Logo Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm

The Best of JWST’s Cosmic Portraits

These new views of familiar space sights reveal details never before seen

By Clara Moskowitz

Jupiter's rings, its moons Amalthea (bright point at left) and Adrastea (faint dot at left tip of rings), and background galaxies.

NASA, ESA, CSA and Jupiter ERS Team; Image processing by Ricardo Hueso/UPV/EHU and Judy Schmidt

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

Jupiter's rings, its moons Amalthea (bright point at left) and Adrastea (faint dot at left tip of rings), and even background galaxies are visible in this image from JWST's NIRCam instrument. Whiter areas on the planet represent regions with more cloud cover, which reflects sunlight, especially Jupiter's famous Great Red Spot; darker spots have fewer clouds. Perhaps the most stunning feature is the blue glow of the planet's auroras at the north and south poles. These light shows result when high-energy particles streaming off the sun hit atoms in Jupiter's atmosphere. Auroras are found on any planet with an atmosphere and a magnetic field, which steers the sun's particles to the poles; besides Earth and Jupiter, telescopes have seen auroras on Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA and CSA, J. Lee and PHANGS-JWST Team; ESA/Hubble and NASA, R. Chandar; Judy Schmidt

The phantom galaxy, M74, forms mesmerizing swirls in this photo combining observations from JWST and Hubble. Visible-light data from Hubble showcase the starlight in this spiral, including older, redder stars at the galaxy's glowing core and younger, bluer stars on its outskirts. The infrared light captured by JWST, however, highlights the gas and dust threaded through the spiral arms, as well as a bright cluster of stars at the heart of the galaxy. Each telescope sees a different aspect of this cosmic wonder, and the combined image offers a fuller picture than ever before.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

Credit: Joseph DePasquale/STScI, Anton M. Koekemoer/STScI, NASA, ESA, CSA and STScI

Credit: Joseph DePasquale/STScI, Anton M. Koekemoer/STScI, NASA, ESA, CSA and STScI

JWST enabled this first-ever view of Neptune's rings in infrared, revealing their delicate gossamer glow. The photo also shows seven of the planet's moons, including its largest satellite, Triton, the bright blue dot to Neptune's upper left. The moon's frozen nitrogen surface reflects 70 percent of the sunlight it receives, causing it to shine powerfully in the infrared. Distant galaxies sprinkle the background of this wide-field shot. In the inset, Neptune's layers of rings are clearly visible: two thin, bright ovals and two fainter, spread-out layers. Gleaming spots caused by methane ice clouds in the planet's atmosphere dapple its lower half.

Rights & Permissions

Clara Moskowitz is chief of reporters at Scientific American, where she covers astronomy, space, physics and mathematics. She has been at Scientific American for more than a decade; previously she worked at Space.com. Moskowitz has reported live from rocket launches, space shuttle liftoffs and landings, suborbital spaceflight training, mountaintop observatories, and more. She has a bachelor’s degree in astronomy and physics from Wesleyan University and a graduate degree in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

More by Clara Moskowitz
Scientific American Magazine Vol 327 Issue 6This article was published with the title “Cosmic Portraits” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 327 No. 6 (), p. 46
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican1222-46
View This Issue

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe