• For the first time, an international team of astronomers have mapped the vertical structure of Uranus’s upper atmosphere, uncovering how temperature and charged particles vary with height across the planet. • Using Webb’s NIRSpec instrument, the team observed Uranus for nearly a full rotation, detecting the faint glow from molecules high above the clouds.
Article Summaries:
- NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has, for the first time, mapped the vertical structure of Uranus’s upper atmosphere. An international team used the NIRSpec instrument to observe the planet over almost a full rotation, detecting faint molecular glow from high‑altitude layers. The data reveal how temperature and charged particles vary with height across the planet, providing new insight into its atmospheric dynamics and composition. This breakthrough offers a detailed view of Uranus’s upper atmosphere, a region previously inaccessible to detailed study.
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