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Here's how it works. 1. Home 2. News 3. Science & Astronomy Rings around Uranus! James Webb Space Telescope captures stunning image of ice giant (photo, video) By Robert Lea published 6 April 2023 The imagery highlights Uranus' spectacular rings, bright moons and dynamic atmosphere. * (opens in new tab) * (opens in new tab) * * (opens in new tab) * (opens in new tab) * (opens in new tab) * Comments (0) The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured an amazing image of Uranus, showing in great detail the ice giant's ring system, its brightest moons and its dynamic atmosphere. The new observation, made on Feb. 6, follows a similarly stunning photo JWST captured recently of the solar system's other ice giant, Neptune. The new Uranus image shows 11 of the planet's 13 known rings, some of which are so bright that they blend together somewhat. What will really astound astronomers, however, is the fact that JWST's Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument is sensitive enough to have captured the innermost two of Uranus' dusty rings. Related: James Webb Space Telescope: Everything you need to know A full-sized wide shot of Uranus captured by the James Webb Space Telescope on Feb. 6, 2023 also shows six of the planet's known 27 moons. A full-sized wide shot of Uranus captured by the James Webb Space Telescope on Feb. 6, 2023 shows six of the planet's 27 known moons. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. DePasquale (STScI)) These faint rings have only been glimpsed by two other astronomical eyes -- those of the Voyager 2 spacecraft, which flew past Uranus in 1986, and more recently by the advanced adaptive optics of the Keck Observatory. When Voyager 2 imaged Uranus during its 1986 flyby, it saw the planet as little more than an inert blue marble lacking distinct features. This new JWST photo is a stark contrast, painting a picture of a dynamic and changing world. The JWST image was made by combining data from two filters, which can be seen as the blue coloration and orange highlights, respectively. The representative-color image shows the dense icy fluid of water, methane, and ammonia above a small rocky core that comprises Uranus, which looks like a light blue snowball. A zoomed-in image of Uranus as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope on Feb. 6, 2023. A zoomed-in image of Uranus as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope on Feb. 6, 2023. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. DePasquale (STScI)) Uranus has a unique orbit in the solar system, with the ice giant rotating on its side, tilted at a roughly 90-degree angle respective to its path around the sun. This tilt causes Uranus to experience extreme seasons, with each pole exposed to constant sunlight for many years before being plunged into darkness for an equally long time. Currently, it is spring at the northern pole of Uranus. This can be seen in the image, with the right side of the ice giant brightening at its north polar ice cap, which is facing toward the sun. This is the first time scientists have seen this aspect of the polar cap; it's missing from even the advanced images captured by Keck. At the edge of the polar cap lies a bright cloud with some fainter extended features just about visible. This includes a second very bright cloud at the left limb of Uranus. Clouds like these are typical for Uranus and can be seen at infrared wavelengths; they are theorized to be connected to storm activity across the ice giant, JWST team members said. The northern pole of Uranus will experience its summer season beginning in 2028. The south pole of Uranus is currently on the dark side of the planet and out of view in the image, facing away from the sun toward the inky blackness of space. An annotated version of an image of Uranus captured by the James Webb Space Telescope on Feb. 6, 2023, showing its bright polar ice cap and glowing clouds. An annotated version of an image of Uranus captured by the James Webb Space Telescope on Feb. 6, 2023, showing its bright polar ice cap and glowing clouds. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. DePasquale (STScI)) Related stories: -- Uranus: Everything you need to know about the coldest planet in the solar system -- 12 amazing James Webb Space Telescope discoveries -- Photos of Uranus, the tilted giant planet JWST managed to catch six of the 27 known moons of Uranus when it pictured the ice giant. These are the brightest of the moons; the others are too faint to be seen in a relatively short 12-minute exposure. The powerful space telescope will continue to observe the ice giant. Its extended investigation is expected to catch a glimpse of two even fainter outer dust rings, which were discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2007, mission team members said. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) and on Facebook (opens in new tab). Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. Robert Lea Robert Lea Social Links Navigation Contributing Writer Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.'s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst. 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