Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have captured direct images of Neptune's elusive auroras for the first time.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured a detailed image of Neptune's auroras, making it the first observatory to do so. Though Voyager 2 was the first spacecraft to fly by Neptune, detect its auroras in infrared, and snap a picture of the majestic ice giant, Webb's image offers direct, visible evidence of Neptune's vibrant light displays.

Webb has filled in many gaps left by Voyager 2, the only spacecraft to visit the planet. In 2022, the telescope captured Neptune's ghostly rings and revealed a band of clouds around a known vortex at the planet's south pole for the first time.