Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
Tropical trouble could stir near Southeast beaches around 4th of July. Get details Chevron right
4th of July forecast: Thunderstorms to focus over Upper Midwest, Plains and Florida. Chevron right

Columbus, OH

80°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

80°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Astronomy

James Webb Space Telescope sends back new images of Neptune

By Simon Drunker, UPI

Published Sep 23, 2022 10:06 AM EDT | Updated Sep 23, 2022 10:26 AM EDT

Copied

The James Webb set its sights on Neptune, capturing not only the ice giant and its moons in great detail, but also detecting the planet's rings for the first time since Voyager 2's flyby in 1989.

Partner Content

UPI

Sept. 22 (UPI) -- NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has sent back its first images of Neptune, the clearest photos of the eighth planet from the sun's rings in more than 30 years, the space agency said on Thursday.

The new images give a "crisp" view of the ice giant planet's rings, NASA said in a news release.

Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) images objects in the near-infrared range from 0.6 to 5 microns, so Neptune does not appear blue to Webb. In fact, the methane gas so strongly absorbs red and infrared light that the planet is quite dark at these near-infrared wavelengths, except where high-altitude clouds are present. Such methane-ice clouds are prominent as bright streaks and spots, which reflect sunlight before it is absorbed by methane gas.

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Some of those rings have not been detected since NASA's Voyager 2 became the first spacecraft to observe Neptune in 1989.

The Webb also shows the planet's fainter dust bands.

"It has been three decades since we last saw these faint, dusty rings, and this is the first time we've seen them in the infrared," James Webb interdisciplinary scientist Heidi Hammel said in a statement, praising the telescope's extremely stable and precise image quality.

Scientists have been limited to using ground-based telescopes to keep a close watch on the gaseous planet's temperatures.

An image comparing three photos of Neptune, taken by NASA's Voyager 2, the Hubble Telescope, and most recently, the James Webb Deep Space Telescope.

NASA

The Webb images come as NASA troubleshoots a problem with the $10 billion deep space telescope. Scientists confirmed on Wednesday they temporarily paused further observations with the telescope after a problem was detected with one of its Mid-Infrared Instrument settings.


GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

  •    Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+

Neptune was first discovered in 1846, located 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth. It is one of two planets in our solar system referred to by scientists as an ice giant, the other being Uranus.

The Webb telescope also captured images of seven of Neptune's 14 known moons.

SEE ALSO:

See Jupiter as it makes closest approach to Earth in 59 years
Monstrous space tarantula caught by a Webb
New images capture ‘Phantom Galaxy’ in dazzling detail

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Recreation

Boulders narrowly miss swimmers at popular Utah waterfall

Jun. 27, 2025
Weather Forecasts

July 4 Forecast: Thunderstorms to focus over Upper Midwest and Florida

Jun. 30, 2025
Weather News

Girl, 8, rescued after 7 hours in flooded sewer in China

Jun. 27, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather News

Severe thunderstorms to threaten central and eastern US

2 hours ago

Astronomy

July offers rare meteor shower combo, stunning views of the Milky Way

4 days ago

Weather News

Tropical trouble could stir near Southeast beaches around 4th of July

2 hours ago

Travel

A mother thought her baby was blown out of a plane

3 days ago

Weather News

Flights cancelled as Atlanta airport recovers from severe weather

1 day ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Weather News

AccuWeather joins Perplexity to power AI weather answers

4 days ago

Travel

A mother thought her baby was blown out of a plane

3 days ago

Weather News

Fossil reveals ‘Last of Us’-type fungus likely lived with dinosaurs

5 days ago

Climate

Your AI prompts could have a hidden environmental cost

1 week ago

Weather News

World’s most liveable city for 2025 revealed

6 days ago

AccuWeather Astronomy James Webb Space Telescope sends back new images of Neptune
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...