What are 3 facts about the Neptune moon Triton?

15 Triton Facts for Kids Triton was discovered by William Lassell on October 10th, 1846. Triton is named about the Greek mythological son of Poseidon. Triton is one of Neptune’s fourteen known moons. Triton is the only moon in our solar system that has a retrograde orbit.

What will Neptune do to Triton?

Triton, the largest satellite of Neptune, orbits in the opposite direction from most moons, suggesting that Neptune captured it in the distant past. Millions of years from now, Triton will move so close to Neptune that tidal forces will rip Triton apart, forming bright new rings around the giant planet.

How did Triton become a moon of Neptune?

According to Rufu, a collision with a large enough satellite in a prograde orbit, along the same path as the planet’s rotation, would have thrown Triton into Neptune. “A massive prograde moon [could] decrease Triton’s speed too much, and lead to Triton’s fall,” Rufu said. The research was detailed Nov.

What color is Triton?

Triton’s reddish colour is thought to be the result of methane ice, which is converted to tholins under exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Because Triton’s surface indicates a long history of melting, models of its interior posit that Triton is differentiated, like Earth, into a solid core, a mantle and a crust.

Why is Triton so cold?

Ices comprise its reddish visible surface (Figure 40.1), and the freshness of the ices cause Triton to be one of the most reflective bodies in the solar system (its total or Bond albedo is ≈0.85). This, combined with the satellite’s distance from the Sun (30 AU), makes Triton’s surface a very cold place (≈38 K).

What is Neptune’s moon Triton made of?

nitrogen atmosphere
Triton has a tenuous nitrogen atmosphere, with trace amounts of carbon monoxide and small amounts of methane near its surface. Like Pluto’s atmosphere, the atmosphere of Triton is thought to have resulted from evaporation of nitrogen from its surface.

Does Triton have an ocean?

The energy loss is converted into heat within the moon, and this heat may have melted some of the icy interior and formed an ocean beneath Triton’s ice shell. The energy loss from tides is also responsible for gradually changing Triton’s orbit from an ellipse to a circle, researchers say.

Is there oxygen on Triton?

Snuggling will have to do. Breathable air is basically 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen, so the nitrogen-rich atmosphere on Triton can’t be that bad, right? Yeah, not so much. It’s better than trying to breathe in a vacuum, but not by much.

How cold is Neptune’s moon Triton?

Triton’s temperature, similar to that of Pluto, is -391°F. At this temperature, methane, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide all freeze solid. One reason for this incredibly cold temperature is the high albedo of the moon.