Uranus stuns with halo-like rings, moons and this one special feature in new images

NASA, on Monday (Dec 18) released new images of Uranus which showed the seventh planet from the sun in more detail than before. The photos captured by the American space agency’s high-powered James Webb Space Telescope show the planet’s glowing rings, moons, storms, and other atmospheric features including a seasonal polar cap.

Detailed newimages

The latest images of the icy planet show multiple inner and outer rings, nine of its 27 known moons and the planet’s seasonal polar cap. Some of the planet’s small moons were also seen within the rings.

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These photos build on a two-colour version released earlier this year and add an “additional wavelength coverage for a more detailed look,” NASA said in a statement.

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The high-powered Webb telescope was also able to capture Uranus’ dim inner and outer rings, including the Zeta ring which is the closest to the planet. The Zeta ring is extremely faint and is shown in a reddish brown colour in the recent images, while several other rings were captured in a glowing blue colour.

“With Webb’s unparalleled infrared resolution and sensitivity, astronomers now see Uranus and its unique features with groundbreaking new clarity. These details, especially of the close-in Zeta ring, will be invaluable to planning any future missions to Uranus,” said NASA in a statement.

Uranus'seasonal north polar cap

One of the most striking details in the recent images is the planet’s seasonal north polar cloud cap. Some details of the cap were easier to see in the newer images, including the bright, white, inner cap and the dark lane at the bottom of the polar captowards the lower latitudes, said the American space agency.

Additionally, several bright storms were also seen near and below the southern border of the polar cap. It is believed that the number of storms, their frequency, and where they appear are affected by a combination of seasonal and meteorological effects.

NASA noted how the “polar cap appears to become more prominent when the planet’s pole begins to point toward the Sun, as it approaches solstice and receives more sunlight.”

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Uranus reaches its next solstice in 2028 and scientists are eager to observe any possible changes in the structure of these features during this time. The seventh planet from the Sun also serves as a proxy to study thousands of those discovered outside of our solar system, or exoplanets.

“This ‘exoplanet in our backyard’ can help astronomers understand how planets of this size work, what their meteorology is like, and how they formed. This can in turn help us understand our own solar system as a whole by placing it in a larger context,” said NASA in a statement.