NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured unprecedented images of the ancient surfaces of Pluto and other small, icy celestial bodies in the outer solar system. The telescope’s Near Infrared Spectrograph instrument detected near-infrared wavelengths of light, allowing scientists to study over 75 trans-Neptunian objects at once.
Initially, researchers expected to find surfaces dominated by frozen molecules similar to those on Earth, but their findings confirmed these expectations with surprising nuances. Data from nearly 60 objects revealed three distinct spectral classes, each characterized by the presence of water, carbon dioxide ice, and silicate-rich dust.
Objects closer to the sun were shaped like bowls, indicating higher temperatures. The discovery sheds new light on the migration of ice giants Uranus and Neptune during the early solar system formation. Future research will focus on imaging and spectroscopy of select objects and their satellites, further expanding our understanding of these enigmatic worlds.
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/space/nasa-james-webb-pluto-telescope-b2697191.html