Space

NASA Reveals New Pictures of Jupiter

AUG 22 2022·Updated AUG 23 2022

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Story

Image credit: NASA/AP [via The Washington Post]

The Facts

On Mon., NASA released new images of Jupiter, taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Business Insider
The infrared images show detailed views of the gas giant's turbulent atmosphere, capturing its Great Red Spot - a storm that has been raging for centuries and is big enough to swallow Earth. Jupiter's auroras, rings, and two of its moons, Amalthea and Adrastea, can also be seen.
Business Insider
The images were taken with the telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), which can detect light from the earliest stars and galaxies. Since JWST observes in infrared light - which is invisible to the human eye - the images don't show the colors as they would look to the naked eye.
SpaceNews
With the help of citizen scientist Judy Schmidt of Modesto, California, the images were processed and artificially colored in blue, white, green, yellow, and orange to make the features stand out.
SpaceNews
The JWST, launched in 2021, is the successor to NASA's legacy Hubble Space Telescope. Scientists hope the JWST will help them behold the dawn of the universe.
Forbes
Positioned 1M miles from Earth, the $10B telescope is an international collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency.
New York Post

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

This is a massive achievement, but also a massive risk. A $10B investment into a single platform is a tremendous gamble - if anything should ever happen to the JWST it could set astronomy back by a generation. NASA needs to find more cost-effective, safe, and innovative ways to spur future innovation in the astrophysics field.

Bloomberg.com

Narrative B

While admittedly the stakes of developing and using the JSWT are high, everyone involved in the project has approached it with caution, and it has clearly paid off. From effective cooperation to groundbreaking discovery, this telescope has seen tremendous success on all fronts, and this is only the beginning.