The planet’s elusive aurorae are much colder than expected, which is how they evaded detection for so long.

NASA’s James Webb telescope is offering a new look at Neptune’s aurora, leading to a new mystery involving the eighth planet from the sun.

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Heidi Hammel (AURA), Henrik Melin (Northumbria University), Leigh Fletcher (University of Leicester), Stefanie Milam (NASA-GSFC) At the left, an enhanced-color image of ...

"Neptune was the missing piece of the puzzle when it came to detecting auroras on the giant planets," said the European Space ...

At the right, that image is combined with data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to show auroras, represented by cyan coloring. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Heidi Hammel (AURA), Henrik Melin ...

The James Webb Space Telescope detected infrared auroras on Neptune for the first time. The auroras are shown in cyan in this enhanced-color image. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Heidi ...

The cyan or light blue areas seen on the right-side ... Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Heidi Hammel (AURA), Henrik Melin (Northumbria University), Leigh Fletcher (University of Leicester ...

The cyan splotches, which represent auroral activity ... NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Heidi Hammel (AURA), Henrik Melin (Northumbria University), Leigh Fletcher (University of Leicester), Stefanie ...

In Webb's images of Neptune, the aurora appears as lighter blue or cyan areas set against the blue planet. The auroral glow occurs because of the same basic interaction of solar particles ...

Katy is Managing Editor at IFLScience where she oversees editorial content from News articles to Features, and even occasionally writes some. Thirty-six years after the first hints of auroral ...

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