Saturn’s rings shine for the first time through a James Webb lens

The James Webb Space Telescope managed to capture the brightest image of Saturn, specifically its rings.

The first official image of Saturn taken by a NASA telescope shows details through the planet’s ring system, along with its many moons – Dione, Enceladus and Tethys.

Taken on June 24 and 25, the images capture the planet with its rings that appear to have neon-like illumination.

The black and white images initially released as part of a study of Saturn by astronomers at the University of Leicester in Britain were taken to reveal new information about the planet, its impressive rings and dozens of moons.

Missions such as NASA’s Pioneer 11, Voyager 1 and 2, the Cassini spacecraft, and the Hubble Space Telescope have monitored Saturn’s atmosphere and rings for many decades. These observations from Webb are just a hint of what lies ahead for the study of the planet in the coming years, as the science team sifts through the data to prepare peer-review findings.

Moreover, it is reported that the rings of Saturn are no more than 400 million years old, while Saturn itself is approximately 4.5 billion years old. The researchers came to this conclusion by studying the layer of dust in the rings.