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Triton has a very thin atmosphere made of ______________. Because of its orbit, Triton will eventually _________ Neptune. The surface of Triton is relatively _____________, because there are _________ geological processes inside Triton. Which best describes the surface or Triton? Don't know?
Which letter on this image of Triton marks an area that has a composition like Earth's atmosphere? In contrast to Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune are thought to ________________________. In the early 1980's, some planetary scientists suggested that Triton has a sea of liquid nitrogen.
Due to influences by Triton what is different about the original moons of Neptune? What rains into Neptune's core creating the Methane deficiency? What type of planet is Neptune currently classified as?
- 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."
The atmosphere of Triton is the layer of gases surrounding Triton. Like the atmospheres of Titan and Pluto, Triton's atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen, with smaller amounts of methane and carbon monoxide.
Triton's thin atmosphere is composed mainly of nitrogen with small amounts of methane. This atmosphere most likely originates from Triton's volcanic activity, which is driven by seasonal heating by the Sun. Triton, Io and Venus are the only bodies in the solar system besides Earth that are known to be volcanically active at the present time.
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Why does Triton have a thin atmosphere?
Where does Triton's atmosphere come from?
How does Triton's atmosphere change over time?
What is the main gas in Triton's atmosphere?
Does Triton have a global atmosphere?
What is the surface temperature of Triton?
The surface material of Triton is made of frozen water, nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide. Methane and nitrogen exist as gas in most of the solar system, but they are frozen at Triton’s temperatures. Only a small quantity of nitrogen vapor persists to form an atmosphere.
