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NASA Webb, Hubble Share Most Comprehensive View of Saturn to Date

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March 25, 2026 2:00PM (EDT)Release ID: 2026-117
Two observations of Saturn are split diagonally, with Webb’s infrared observations at bottom left and Hubble’s visible at top right. In infrared, Saturn has horizontal bands, with bands northern bands and bands toward the south poles appearing darker orange and lightening to tan as they approach the equator. The south pole glows a greenish-grey. In visible, Saturn’s horizontal bands appear pale yellow, with some bands towards the north pole having a light blue hue. In both, the rings are bright white, glowing slightly less in the Hubble image.

Summary

Infrared and visible observations show layers and storms in the ringed planet’s atmosphere

For centuries, Saturn has captivated skywatchers, from the first telescopic glimpses of its strange “ears” in the 1600’s to the detailed spacecraft portraits of today. Now, two of NASA’s most powerful observatories – the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope – are continuing that tradition. By observing the ringed planet in different wavelengths of light, the telescopes are revealing new insights into this gas giant.

Full Article

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope have teamed up to capture new views of Saturn, revealing the planet in strikingly different ways. Observing in complementary wavelengths of light, the two space observatories provide scientists with a richer, more layered understanding of the gas giant’s atmosphere. Both sense sunlight reflected from Saturn’s banded clouds and hazes, but where Hubble reveals subtle color variations across the planet, Webb’s infrared view senses clouds and chemicals at many different depths in the atmosphere, from the deep clouds ...

Read More on NASA.gov

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Visit NASA Science to view the full news release including article text and associated Webb imagery, graphics, scientific visualizations, videos, captions, text descriptions, and other information.

News releases highlighting the discoveries of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are produced for NASA by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, under NASA Contract NAS5-03127. News release content is developed by the News Team in STScI’s Office of Public Outreach.

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