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- 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 known world of the Kuiper Belt.
science.nasa.gov/neptune/neptune-moons/triton/
The Kuiper belt (green), in the Solar System's outskirts, is where Triton is thought to have originated. The current understanding of moons in retrograde orbits means they cannot form in the same region of the solar nebula as the planets they orbit.
- 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."
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 known world of the Kuiper Belt. Like our own moon, Triton is locked in synchronous rotation with Neptune―one side faces the planet at all times.
Nov 30, 2018 · The only explanation for its properties, especially its bizarre and unique orbit, is that Triton is a captured Kuiper belt object.
- Ethan Siegel
Is Triton a captured Kuiper Belt Object? It’s very likely. The first piece of evidence is that Triton orbits Neptune the wrong way in what’s known as a retrograde orbit.
Sep 15, 2023 · The best answer is that Triton is no mere moon but instead a victim of an interplanetary kidnapping. Perhaps it is really a Kuiper Belt object more akin to Pluto or Eris than to the other moons...
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Is Triton a Kuiper belt object?
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How did Triton get to Neptune?
Aug 27, 2020 · It’s one large moon, Triton, appears to be a captured Kuiper belt object, and obliterated almost the entire Neptunian system in the process. Here’s what we know today. Jupiter and its...
