Astronomy Picture of the Day

Triton: Neptune's Largest Moon


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#99075 by @ 05.03.2007 00:00 - nach oben -
Triton: Neptune's Largest Moon


Explanation:
In October of 1846,
William Lassell
was observing the newly discovered planet
Neptune.

He was attempting to confirm his observation, made just the previous week,
that Neptune had a ring.

But this time he discovered that Neptune had a satellite as well.

Lassell soon proved that the ring was a product of his new
telescope's distortion, but the satellite
Triton
remained.

The above picture of
Triton
was taken in 1989 by the only spacecraft ever to pass
Triton:
Voyager 2.

Voyager 2 found fascinating terrain,
a thin atmosphere, and even evidence for
ice volcanoes
on this world of peculiar orbit and spin.

Ironically, Voyager 2 also confirmed the existence of
>complete thin rings around Neptune
- but these would have been quite
invisible
to Lassell!




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