--- title: "The Webb Telescope Just Quietly Released a Picture of Jupiter" description: "Webb Watching If you were looking for photos of Jupiter amid the fanfare of the James Webb Space Telescope's first aligned images, you wouldn't find one — but that doesn't mean it wasn't hidden there all along. As the New Scientist and other outlets noted, an incredible photo of the Gas Giant was buried in a […]" date: "2022-07-13" modified: "2022-07-13" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/webb-telescope-jupiter" categories: - "James Webb Space Telescope" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "James webb" - "james webb space telescope" - "jupiter" - "JWST" - "near-infrared camera" - "nircam" - "Space Telescope" - "the digest" - "webb" --- # The Webb Telescope Just Quietly Released a Picture of Jupiter ![The James Webb Space Telescope secretly released an infrared photo of Jupiter during its historic drop of images yesterday.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Webb Watching If you were looking for images of Jupiter amid the fanfare of the James Webb Space Telescope's first aligned images, you wouldn't find one — but that doesn't mean it wasn't hidden there all along. As [*New Scientist* noted](), an incredible shot of the Gas Giant was [buried in a document about testing]() in the [veritable treasure trove]() of Webb imagery NASA [released yesterday](). Using Webb's near-infrared camera, dubbed NIRCam, the telescope took one incredible shot with two different filters, which per the commissioning report were meant to focus on different light wavelengths. Naturally, when Webb-watchers discovered the easter egg, which shows three of Jupiters' moons and its famous red spot, they were pretty stoked. https://twitter.com/\_astronomay/status/1546897730831884296 ## Testing 1,2,3 Per the commissioning report, NASA directed Webb to take the multi-filtered image of Jupiter to see how well it would do when focusing on a "bright planet," as well as its satellite moons and rings — and if this shot is any indication, it performed marvelously. Capturing Jupiter in all its gaseous glory wasn't just an incredible scientific feat on its own — it also helped prove that the Webb is up to the task of capturing moving targets, such as planets and their moons. "JWST is fully capable," the report celebrated, "of achieving the discoveries for which it was built." "JWST was envisioned," its writers continued, "'to enable fundamental breakthroughs in our understanding of the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars, and planetary systems.'" It looks like the Webb is doing even better than expected on that count. **READ MORE:** [James Webb Space Telescope team quietly releases a picture of Jupiter]() \[*New Scientist*\] **More on the Webb's celebratory drop:** *[Awesome Tool Shows How Much Better the JWST's Images Are Compared To The Hubble's]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()