The highly anticipated moment has arrived as a teaser image of Saturn captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been unveiled. While the final processed images are still in the works, the telescope's Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) has already provided a glimpse of the breathtaking sight.
Although the current images on the unofficial JWST Feed website appear as glowing white blobs with distinct features reminiscent of ears, they are expected to undergo noise reduction and colorization to reveal the true beauty of Saturn.
One notable image showcases Saturn appearing nearly black, likely due to the specific filters used. By capturing longer wavelength bands, the image highlights the rings in isolation, emanating a luminous glow against the backdrop of space. The visible white speckles are artifacts that will be removed during the final processing stage.
As NASA explained in 2010, "Saturn's rings reflect sunlight at 2 microns, but not at 3 and 5 microns … Saturn's high altitude haze reflects sunlight at both 2 and 3 microns."
Additionally, there are images obtained using a short wavelength filter, revealing the cloud bands encircling Saturn with the rings shining brightly at the center, resembling a radiant fluorescent ring light. These observations were led by planetary scientist Leigh Fletcher and the University of Leicester team. Their objective is to utilize the NIRSpec data to gain insights into Saturn's moons and rings, including the potential discovery of new moons. This is especially relevant as Saturn recently temporarily surrendered its title of having the most satellites to Jupiter earlier this year.
The NIRSpec's capabilities also serve as a continuation of time-domain observations following the conclusion of the Cassini space probe mission in 2017. Fletcher's team has specifically requested images of certain Saturnian moons and observations with the JWST's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which are yet to be acquired.
With these newly acquired images, the scientific investigation is already underway. The anticipation builds as we eagerly await the polished and enhanced versions that will unveil the full majesty of Saturn, while also providing a potential wealth of new discoveries for Fletcher and his team.
