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Aug 6, 2020 · Before Voyager 2’s encounter with the Neptunian system, ground-based observations using infrared telescopes had detected CH 4 (methane) and N 2 (molecular nitrogen) ices on the surface of Triton (Cruikshank and Silvaggio, 1979, Astrophys J 233, 1016-1020; Cruikshank et al., 1984, Icarus 58, 293-305).
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Since the plane of the orbit of Triton is tilted significantly with respect to the plane of the ecliptic; through course corrections, Voyager 2 was directed into a path about 4,950 km (3,080 mi) above the north pole of Neptune.
Voyager photographed two-thirds of Neptune’s largest moon Triton, revealing the coldest known planetary body in the solar system and a nitrogen ice “volcano” on its surface. Spectacular images of its southern hemisphere showed a strange, pitted, cantaloupe-type terrain.
- United States of America (USA)
- 1,592 pounds (721.9 kilograms)
- Voyager 2
- Discovery
- Overview
- How Triton Got Its Name
Triton was discovered on Oct. 10, 1846 by British astronomer William Lassell, just 17 days after Neptune itself was discovered.
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. It shares many similarities with Pluto, the best know...
Triton is named after the son of Poseidon (the Greek god comparable to the Roman Neptune). Until the discovery of the second moon Nereid in 1949, Triton was commonly known as simply "the satellite of Neptune."
Triton's relatively high density and retrograde orbit offer strong evidence that Triton is not an original member of Neptune's family but is a captured object. If that is the case, tidal heating could have melted Triton in its originally eccentric orbit, and the moon might even have been liquid for as long as one billion years after its capture ...
Feb 27, 2023 · When Voyager 2 flew past Triton 143 years after its discovery, it revealed very few craters, indicating that Triton’s surface is relatively young: perhaps 50 million years old, or possibly even less than 10 million years old.
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Aug 19, 2022 · This trajectory allowed Voyager 2 to observe Neptune’s large moon Triton, the last solid object it explored. During the encounter, it returned more than 9,000 images of the planet, its atmosphere, dark rings, and moons, discovering six new moons.
