The Webb Telescope finally shows us Uranus' glorious rings

We will never look at Uranus the same way again.
 By   and 
Elisha Sauers
 on 
Rings of Uranus
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Most pictures of Uranus in textbooks show it as a bright blue, featureless ball.

NASA scientists say Uranus' rings have only been captured by two other cameras. They were first scoped out by the Voyager 2 spacecraft as it flew past in 1986. Later, the Keck Observatory in Hawaii spied the planet's ring system with advanced adaptive optics technology.

But the James Webb Space Telescope, the preeminent new observatory that senses light at invisible, infrared wavelengths, allows astronomers to see the seventh planet from the sun for what it truly is: a world crowned with rings, glorious rings.

Topics NASA

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Elisha Sauers

Elisha Sauers writes about space for Mashable, taking deep dives into NASA's moon and Mars missions, chatting up astronauts and history-making discoverers, and jetting above the clouds. Through 17 years of reporting, she's covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for public records requests. She previously worked for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, and The Capital in Annapolis, Maryland. Her work has earned numerous state awards, including the Virginia Press Association's top honor, Best in Show, and national recognition for narrative storytelling. For each year she has covered space, Sauers has won National Headliner Awards, including first place for her Sex in Space series. Send space tips and story ideas to [email protected] or text 443-684-2489. Follow her on X at @elishasauers.


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