The James Webb Space Telescope identified the lights in the distant planet’s atmosphere, which could not be seen by earlier telescopes or spacecraft.

Thirty-six years after the first hints of auroral activity on the ice giant, astronomers have captured Neptune’s aurorae for the first time. Thanks to JWST, the planet’s elusive glow has been measured and it's not the only new insight these observations have delivered.

Earth’s beautiful northern and southern lights are the result of auroras: when high-energy charged particles from the sun hit gases in our upper atmosphere, making them glow in brilliant colors as they release energy from the collision.