Overview
- NASA, which released the paired Webb (infrared) and Hubble (visible-light) images Wednesday, called them the most comprehensive view of Saturn to date.
- Webb senses clouds and gases at many depths, while Hubble tracks colors and long-term changes, giving scientists a layered read on the atmosphere as the planet headed toward its 2025 equinox.
- The datasets show the long-lived ribbon wave, leftovers from past storms, and faint edges of the north polar hexagon that may not be seen in high detail again until the 2040s as the pole enters winter darkness.
- In infrared, the rings blaze because they are rich in water ice, with the thin F ring and subtle B-ring spokes standing out far more than in visible light.
- A gray-green glow at both poles appears in Webb’s wavelengths, which researchers say could come from high-altitude aerosols or from auroral activity driven by charged particles.