太空中的莎翁名剧人物

2023年12月29日

Shakespeare in Space
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Explanation: In 1986, Voyager 2 became the only spacecraft to explore ice giant planet Uranus close up. Still, this newly released image from the NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) on the James Webb Space Telescope offers a detailed look at the distant world. The tilted outer planet rotates on its axis once in about 17 hours. Its north pole is presently pointed near our line of sight, offering direct views of its northern hemisphere and a faint but extensive system of rings. Of the giant planet’s 27 known moons, 14 are annotated in the image. The brighter ones show hints of Webb’s characteristic diffraction spikes. And though these worlds of the outer Solar System were unknown in Shakespearean times, all but two of the 27 Uranian moons are named for characters in the English Bard’s plays.

Tomorrow’s picture: the cold and tired moon

太空中的莎翁名剧人物
影像提供: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

说明: 在1986年，旅行者2号成为唯一近距离探索冰质巨行星——天王星的航天器。尽管如此，这张来自韦伯太空望远镜近红外线相机的新影像，仍然可以为详细观测这颗遥远行星提供参考。这颗侧倾的外围行星，大约每17小时绕轴自转一圈。在这幅影像里，它目前的北极指向很接近视线方向，故得以直接看到它的北半球和昏暗但宽广的环系。这颗巨行星拥有27颗已知的卫星，其中的14颗在影像里加上了注记。部分较明亮的卫星之身影，隐约镶着韦伯光学系统所造成的特征衍射峰。尽管这些太阳系外围的卫星，在莎士比亚的年代还未为人所知，但是天王星的27颗卫星中，除了2颗之外，其他的卫星都是以这位英国诗人戏剧中的人物为名。

明日的图片: the cold and tired moon