Jade Rehder

Saturn, as observed by Hubble and Webb 🪐. Here's why the images are so different 👇🏻

Hubble, operational since 1990, primarily captures images in visible light. Its photographs of Saturn reveal vibrant colors and details in the planet's atmosphere, including phenomena like ring spokes—transient features that appear as faint gray lines across the rings.

However, Hubble's images tend to show Saturn's rings as less distinct and darker compared to the planet itself, as they reflect sunlight but are somewhat subdued due to their thermal emission being less visible in the wavelengths Hubble observes.

In contrast, JWST utilizes infrared technology, allowing it to view celestial objects in a different light spectrum. When it observed Saturn, the planet appeared much darker because methane in its atmosphere absorbs most sunlight at infrared wavelengths. This absorption makes the rings—composed of icy particles—shine brightly, creating a striking visual effect where the rings outshine the planet itself.

JWST's images reveal intricate details of Saturn’s ring system and its moons, such as Dione and Enceladus, which are not as clearly visible in Hubble's photographs.

The differences arise from their design: Hubble captures shorter wavelengths (0.1 to 2.5 microns), while JWST operates in a broader infrared range (0.6 to 28.5 microns). This allows JWST to pe*****te dust and gas clouds that obscure many celestial bodies, revealing features that Hubble cannot detect.