The frozen outer solar system is far more active than imagined
In short: While the James Webb Space Telescope was designed to peer into the early universe, its infrared capabilities are now unveiling the dynamic secrets of our own backyard. Watch as Webb captures the complex behaviors of the icy giants and the dwarf planet Pluto.
Webb's infrared observations reveal that the outer solar system is not a static wasteland. Uranus exhibits glowing rings and violent seasons despite a mysterious lack of internal heat. Meanwhile, Neptune produces the fastest winds in the entire solar system, even while residing in deep darkness.
The telescope also provides a new look at Pluto. Far from being a dead rock, the dwarf planet is shown to flow and breathe. It may even be actively feeding its atmosphere onto its moon, Charon. These findings suggest these distant worlds are more alien and unsettling than previous models predicted.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: James Webb Just Revealed Uranus, Neptune & Pluto Like Never Before
- Also: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio | Webb Views the Outer Planets
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