                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2024 September 6

                          Ringed Ice Giant Neptune
                 Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, NIRCam

   Explanation: Ringed ice giant Neptune lies near the center of this
   sharp near-infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope. The dim
   and distant world is the farthest planet from the Sun, about 30 times
   farther away than planet Earth. But in the stunning Webb view, the
   planet's dark and ghostly appearance is due to atmospheric methane that
   absorbs infrared light. High altitude clouds that reach above most of
   Neptune's absorbing methane easily stand out in the image though.
   Coated with frozen nitrogen, Neptune's largest moon Triton is brighter
   than Neptune in reflected sunlight, seen at the upper left sporting the
   Webb telescope's characteristic diffraction spikes. Including Triton,
   seven of Neptune's 14 known moons can be identified in the field of
   view. Neptune's faint rings are striking in this space-based planetary
   portrait. Details of the complex ring system are seen here for the
   first time since Neptune was visited by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in
   August 1989.

                    Tomorrow's picture: terrorizing Mars
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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