Triton (moon)
Largest natural satellite of the planet Neptune, and was the first Neptunian moon to be discovered, on October 10, 1846, by English astronomer William Lassell.
- Triton (moon)148 related topics
Neptune
Eighth and farthest-known Solar planet from the Sun.
Eighth and farthest-known Solar planet from the Sun.
Its largest moon, Triton, was discovered shortly thereafter, though none of the planet's remaining 13 known moons were located telescopically until the 20th century.
Retrograde and prograde motion
Object in the direction opposite the rotation of its primary, that is, the central object .
Object in the direction opposite the rotation of its primary, that is, the central object .
Retrograde satellites are generally small and distant from their planets, except Neptune's satellite Triton, which is large and close.
Moons of Neptune
The planet Neptune has 14 known moons, which are named for minor water deities in Greek mythology.
The planet Neptune has 14 known moons, which are named for minor water deities in Greek mythology.
By far the largest of them is Triton, discovered by William Lassell on October 10, 1846, 17 days after the discovery of Neptune itself; over a century passed before the discovery of the second natural satellite, Nereid.
Mantle (geology)
Layer inside a planetary body bounded below by a core and above by a crust.
Layer inside a planetary body bounded below by a core and above by a crust.
Titan and Triton each have a mantle made of ice or other solid volatile substances.
Atmosphere
Layer of gas or layers of gases that envelope a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body.
Layer of gas or layers of gases that envelope a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body.
Titan, a moon of Saturn, and Triton, a moon of Neptune, have atmospheres mainly of nitrogen.
William Lassell
English merchant and astronomer.
English merchant and astronomer.
In 1846, Lassell discovered Triton, the largest moon of Neptune, just 17 days after the discovery of Neptune itself by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle, using his self-built instrument.
Titan (moon)
Largest moon of Saturn and the second-largest natural satellite in the Solar System.
Largest moon of Saturn and the second-largest natural satellite in the Solar System.
It is second in terms of relative diameter of moons to a gas giant; Titan being 1/22.609 of Saturn's diameter, Triton is larger in diameter relative to Neptune at 1/18.092.
Orbital eccentricity
Kepler orbits.svg:
Kepler orbits.svg:
Neptune's largest moon Triton has an eccentricity of 0 (0), the smallest eccentricity of any known moon in the Solar System; its orbit is as close to a perfect circle as can be currently measured.
Cryovolcano
Type of volcano that erupts volatiles such as water, ammonia or methane into an extremely cold environment that is at or below their freezing point.
Type of volcano that erupts volatiles such as water, ammonia or methane into an extremely cold environment that is at or below their freezing point.
In addition, although they are not known to form volcanoes, ice geysers have been observed on Enceladus and potentially Triton.
Irregular moon
Irregular moon, irregular satellite or irregular natural satellite is a natural satellite following a distant, inclined, and often eccentric and retrograde orbit.
Irregular moon, irregular satellite or irregular natural satellite is a natural satellite following a distant, inclined, and often eccentric and retrograde orbit.
The term does not refer to shape as Triton is a round moon, but is considered irregular due to its orbit.