Overview
- The NASA, ESA and CSA release, posted Wednesday, pairs a Webb infrared image with a Hubble visible-light view to show Saturn side by side.
- Together the images slice through the atmosphere at different heights, with infrared sensing clouds and chemicals across many layers and visible light showing true-color bands.
- Webb’s view highlights a northern “Ribbon Wave,” remnants of a past giant storm, and a gray-green glow at the poles that scientists say could come from high-altitude aerosols or auroral activity.
- In infrared the icy rings shine more brightly, bringing the faint F ring into clear view, and several moons stand out, including Titan, Dione, Enceladus, Mimas, Tethys and Janus.
- The two views were taken 14 weeks apart in late 2024 as Saturn moves toward its 2025 equinox, and Hubble’s OPAL program with continued Webb observations will track seasonal changes into the 2030s.