Triton has a diameter of 1,680 miles (2,700 kilometers). Spacecraft images show the moon has a sparsely cratered surface with smooth volcanic plains, mounds and round pits formed by icy lava flows. Triton consists of a crust of frozen nitrogen over an icy mantle believed to cover a core of rock and metal. Triton has a density about twice that of water. This is a higher density than that measured for almost any other satellite of an outer planet. Europa and Io have higher densities. This implies that Triton contains more rock in its interior than the icy satellites of Saturn and Uranus.
FAQs
What NASA mission went to Triton? ›
The proposed launch date in October 2025 (with a backup in October 2026) would take advantage of a once-in-13-years window, when Earth is properly aligned with Jupiter. The spacecraft would use the gravitational pull of Jupiter as a slingshot straight to Triton for an extended 13-day encounter in 2038.
What is Triton in science? ›Triton is the largest of Neptune's 13 moons. It is unusual because it is the only large moon in our solar system that orbits in the opposite direction of its planet's rotation―a retrograde orbit. Scientists think Triton is a Kuiper Belt Object captured by Neptune's gravity millions of years ago.
What was found on Triton? › What did Voyager discover about Triton? ›The Voyager 2 probe in 1989 observed a handful of geyser-like eruptions of nitrogen gas or water and entrained dust from beneath the surface of Triton in plumes up to 8 km high. Triton is thus one of the few bodies in the Solar System on which active eruptions of some sort have been observed.
What will eventually happen to the moon Triton? ›Millions of years from now, gravitational forces will break Triton apart, possibly forming a new Neptunian ring. The mayhem caused by Triton's entrance may have flung the moon Nereid — which may also be a captured Kuiper Belt Object — into a highly eccentric orbit.
What did NASA find on Mercury? ›NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft discovered strange hollows on the surface of Mercury. Images taken from orbit revealed thousands of mysterious depressions, pitted and uneven, in areas all across the planet, up to a mile (1,600 meters) across and 120 feet (37 meters) deep.
What was one surprising geological feature discovered on Triton? ›Probably the most interesting feature on Triton is the active ice volcanoes that were observed by the Voyager 2. One of the plumes was measured to be over five miles high. The volcanoes are thought to be caused by liquid nitrogen, dust or methane compounds from the center of the moon.
Why can't we live on Triton? ›If you lived on Triton, you wouldn't get to enjoy any seasonal effects to temperature. With an average temperature of minus 391 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 235 Celsius), Triton is the coldest- known object in the solar system.
What are 5 facts about Triton? ›Triton Moon Profile
| Diameter: | 2,706.8 km |
|---|---|
| Orbit Period: | 5.9 days (retrograde) |
| Surface Temperature: | -135 °C |
| Discovery Date: | October 10, 1846 |
| Discovered By: | William Lassell |
During the summer of 1989, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft discovered the dark plumes of geysers rising approximately five miles (eight kilometers) above the surface of Neptune's largest moon, Triton. The geysers of Triton are likely composed of nitrogen frost and organic compounds, and eruptions may last up to a year.
What evidence suggests that Triton is a captured moon? ›
Evidence supporting the idea of Triton being captured by Neptune includes: its retrograde and circular orbit; geological activity indicating resurfacing, possibly caused by tidal heating from an eccentric orbit; and similarities in its physical characteristics with Kuiper Belt objects, suggesting that it originated ...
What was Voyager biggest discoveries? ›Voyager 1 found five new moons, a ring system consisting of thousands of bands, wedge-shaped transient clouds of tiny particles in the B ring that scientists called “spokes,” a new ring (the “G-ring”), and “shepherding” satellites on either side of the F-ring—satellites that keep the rings well-defined.
What was NASA's mission on Mercury? ›MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) was the seventh Discovery-class mission, and the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. Its primary goal was to study the geology, magnetic field, and chemical composition of the planet.
What was the NASA MESSENGER mission to Mercury? ›During its first flyby of Mercury in January 2008, MESSENGER became the second mission, after Mariner 10 in 1975, to reach Mercury. MESSENGER entered orbit around Mercury on March 18, 2011, becoming the first spacecraft to do so. It successfully completed its primary mission in 2012.
How many NASA missions have been to Mercury? ›Only two spacecraft have ever visited Mercury, and a third is on the way. It actually takes more energy for a spacecraft to reach Mercury than Pluto. Mercury is the fastest-orbiting planet in our solar system — it blazes around the Sun at 48 kilometers per second (30 miles per second).
Did NASA find a ocean planet? ›An 'hycean' or a world of water under a hydrogen-rich atmosphere has been found on a sub-Neptune distant exoplanet. It contains an ocean of boiling water and its temperature could be as high as 100 degree Celsius. James Webb Space Telescope has discovered what could be a 'Waterworld with a boiling ocean'.