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Neptune Wide Field (NIRCam Compass Image)

Image titled “Neptune Wide Field (NIRCam)” with compass arrows and color key. In the center is a small, glowing sphere accompanied by a bright point of light with eight spikes. Hundreds of small galaxies splatter the black background, some are orange and others are white. At the bottom left are compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The north arrow points in the 11 o’clock direction. The east arrow points toward 8 o’clock. Below the image is a color key showing NIRCam filters were used to create the image and which visible-light color is assigned to each filter. NIRCam Filters from left to right: F140M is blue; F210M is green; F300M is red; F460W is red.

This image of Neptune and its rings and moons, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), shows compass arrows and a color key for reference.

The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the relationship between north and east on the sky (as seen from below) is flipped relative to direction arrows on a map of the ground (as seen from above).

This image shows invisible near-infrared wavelengths of light that have been translated into visible-light colors. The color key shows which NIRCam filters were used when collecting the light. The color of each filter name is the visible light color used to represent the infrared light that passes through that filter.

Read the full image caption.

About the Object

Distance
DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
Neptune's average distance from Earth is 2.7 billion miles

About the Data

Data Description
Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
This image was created from JWST data from proposal: 2739 (K. Pontoppidan).
Instrument
InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
NIRCam
Exposure Dates
Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
12 July 2022
Filters
FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
F140M, F210M, F300M, F460M

Object Name
Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
Neptune
Object Description
Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
Gas giant
Release Date
September 21, 2022
Science Release
New Webb Image Captures Clearest View of Neptune’s Rings in Decades
Read the release
Credit
Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Naomi Rowe-Gurney (NASA-GSFC)

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These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the NIRCam instrument. Several filters were used to sample different infraraed wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Red: F460M Orange: F300M Green: F210M Blue: F140M

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