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Probable subsurface ocean
- With a mean density of 2.061 g/cm3, Triton is roughly 15-35% water ice by mass; Triton is a differentiated body, with an icy solid crust atop a probable subsurface ocean and a rocky core.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_Triton
Sep 6, 2012 · It is possible that a liquid ocean formed between the rocky core and icy surface shell, and scientists are investigating whether or not this ocean could have survived until now. Captured from the...
- Holy Grail
Model of Europa's interior. The moon is thought to have a...
- Holy Grail
Triton likely hosts a global subsurface ocean, [32][12][39] and consequently may be habitable. [30] As Triton's orbit is highly circular, the source of heat needed to maintain its liquid water ocean likely comes from a combination of radiogenic heating and heating from obliquity tidal heating. [13]
Sep 7, 2012 · As Triton’s density is quite high, it is suspected that the moon has a large core of silicate rock. It is possible that a liquid ocean formed between the rocky core and icy surface shell, and ...
- Captured from The Kuiper Belt
- Heating The Interior
- Sustaining The Ocean
Triton has a unique property among large solar system moons; it has a retrograde orbit. Planets form from a circumstellar disc of dust and gas that surrounds a young star. This disc circles the star in one direction, and thus the planets and their moons must also orbitin this same direction. These orbits are known as prograde, and a rogue object th...
Friction from tides is not the only source of heat within a terrestrial body; there is also radiogenic heating. This is heat that is caused by the decay of radioactive isotopes within a moon or planet, and this process can create heat for billions of years. Radiogenic heating contributes several times more heat to Triton's interior than tidal heati...
The exact point in time when Triton was captured by Neptune, along with the length of the time it took the orbit to become circularized are unknown. Triton's orbit is currently almost exactly circular. Investigating how the shape of the orbit evolved through time is important to determine the level of tidal heating that occurred, and thus if the su...
Sep 7, 2012 · At 1,680 miles (2,700 km) across, the frigid and wrinkled Triton is Neptune’s largest moon and the seventh largest in the Solar System.
The crust is largely water ice. There could be subsurface ocean of slushy or liquid water. Triton orbits Neptune in retrograde — that is, opposite to the direction of Neptune’s rotation on its axis. This may imply that Triton was captured by Neptune’s gravity into its inclined orbit.
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Mar 9, 2022 · NASA’s proposed Trident mission would explore Neptune’s largest moon, Triton, which potentially hosts an ocean with liquid water under its ice shell. Credit: Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech
