---
title: "Usually You Can’t See Rings on Neptune. With the James Webb, Though… Wow"
description: "Put a Ring On It Jupiter who? The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) just captured Neptunes's rings — yep, that's right, Neptune has rings, too —  in all of their splendor. And they're absolutely beautiful. If it's news to you that Neptune even has rings, we don't blame you. They're quite close to its atmosphere, […]"
date: "2022-09-21"
modified: "2022-09-21"
authors:
  - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré"
    job_title: "Senior Staff Writer"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/rings-neptune-james-webb"
categories:
  - "James Webb Space Telescope"
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "james webb space telescope"
  - "JWST"
  - "neptune"
  - "the digest"
---

# Usually You Can’t See Rings on Neptune. With the James Webb, Though… Wow

![The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) just captured Neptunes's rings in all of their splendor, and they're absolutely beautiful.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/rings-neptune-james-webb.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: ASA/ESA/CSA/STScI\</em\>*

## Put a Ring On It

Jupiter who? The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) just captured Neptunes's rings — yep, that's right, Neptune has rings, too — in all of their splendor. And they're absolutely beautiful.

If it's news to you that Neptune even has rings, we don't blame you. They're quite close to its atmosphere, and thus are easily obscured by the gas giant's brightness — in fact, this is the first glimpse we've had of them since 1989, when Voyager 2 flew past our solar system’s outermost planet.

"It has been three decades since we last saw these faint, dusty rings," Heidi Hammel, a Neptune system expert and interdisciplinary scientist for Webb, [said in a NASA press release](<https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/new-webb-image-captures-clearest-view-of-neptune-s-rings-in-decades>), "and this is the first time we've seen them in the infrared."

https://twitter.com/NASAWebb/status/1572558249307639809

## Big Blue

Now, if you're also wondering why Webb’s photo of the ice giant captures the planet looking less like a big blue orb (as it usually does), and more like Casper The Big Round Ghost, it has to do with the [JWST's infrared capabilities](<https://futurism.com/garth-illingworth-james-webb>). These pictures were snapped by the telescope's near-infrared camera, and methane, which Neptune’s atmosphere is packed with, absorbs most infrared light. What we’re actually seeing are the reflective ice clouds that pretty much encase the big ol' frosty space marble.

Beyond Neptune's rings — as well as some fainter dust bands that lie between them — Webb was also able to spot seven of the planet's 14 moons, and even caught a glimpse of an intriguing bright spot at the planet's North Pole.

This all very exciting, and luckily for us, it's just the beginning. Per the release, Webb is slated for further study of Neptune as well as its main moon, Triton, later this year. Rest assured, we'll have the popcorn ready.

**READ MORE:** [*New JWST image reveals full glory of Neptune, its moons, and rings*](<https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/new-webb-image-captures-clearest-view-of-neptune-s-rings-in-decades>) \[*Ars Technica*\]

**More on the James Webb:** *[The JWST's Data Is So Incredible That Even Those Who Built It Are Questioning Previous Science](<https://futurism.com/garth-illingworth-james-webb>)*

## Author
At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride."

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/mharrisondupre.bsky.social>)