James Webb Space Telescope has now captured a clear picture of the eighth planet, Neptune, and its bright narrow rings.
In visible light, the planet Neptune appears blue due to the small amount of methane gas in its atmosphere.
James Webb's NIRCAM instrument observed Neptune at near-infrared wavelengths, so Neptune does not appear so blue in the image.
These hazy, dusty rings of Neptune had previously been seen three decades earlier (by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1989). Neptune's rings have been seen in infrared for the first time.
The bright object seen to the upper left of Neptune is not a star. This is Neptune's large unusual moon Triton. Triton is covered in frozen condensed nitrogen.
Triton reflects an average of 70 percent of the Sun's light, and thus Triton appears very bright to James Webb. Neptune's 6 other moons can be seen as small dots around Neptune.
Interesting facts about NeptuneNeptune is about four times as wide as Earth. On the basis of distance, it is the eighth planet from the Sun.
Neptune's distance from the Sun is 2.8 billion miles (4.5 billion kilometers). It orbits the Sun in about 165 Earth years.
It takes about 16 hours for Neptune to make one revolution on its axis. Neptune has 14 known moons (satellites). Triton is its largest satellite.
Neptune is a giant body of ice. Neptune's atmosphere is composed mostly of molecular hydrogen, atomic helium, and methane.
Neptune has at least five main rings and four more ring arcs, which are clumps of dust and debris. Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have visited Neptune.
Neptune appears green or dark blue in color. Neptune cannot support life.