{"id":200702,"date":"2020-04-17T16:00:56","date_gmt":"2020-04-17T15:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.factstoryhub.com\/?p=200702"},"modified":"2025-02-16T19:52:32","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T19:52:32","slug":"triton-facts","status":"publish","type":[],"link":"https:\/\/www.factstoryhub.com\/triton-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Celestial Facts About Triton – Neptune’s Largest Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"
At the far reaches of our solar system lies the ice giant Neptune. Devoid of life, lashed by supersonic winds and, well, just really, really cold, this planet does not mess around.\n
Not only does the blue giant Neptune have 6 rings, but it also has 13 known moons, so it\u2019s no small wonder it has been referenced time and time again in science fiction and pop culture ranging from Dr. Who to Futurama.\n
Of all Neptune\u2019s moons though, Triton is the most intriguing.\n
With a whopping diameter of 1,682 miles (2,700km) not only is Triton Neptune\u2019s largest moon, but it\u2019s also the 7th largest moon and the 16th largest known object within our solar system!\n Discovered by British astronomer William Lassell on October 10, 1846, Triton is so great in size that it was actually found just a few weeks after the French Astronomer Alexis Bouvard discovered Neptune itself.\n This moon isn\u2019t just big though, it also has more than 99.5% of the total mass of all known bodies to orbit Neptune.\n More than just a large moon, Triton has its fair share of bizarre and intriguing traits.\n Officially, Triton was simply referred to as the satellite of Neptune until a second moon, Nereid, was discovered orbiting the planet in 1949.\n While Neptune is named after the Roman god of the sea, Triton was named after a Greek one.\n Although this may be confusing at first, its actually quite befitting, as Neptune is the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Poseidon, who just happens to be the father of Triton within Greek mythology.\n It doesn\u2019t just stop there though, as all of Neptune\u2019s moons are actually named after characters from either Roman or Greek mythology as per the International Astronomical Union guidelines.\n Despite the fact that Triton orbits the furthest planet in our Solar system, the sun still manages to have its presence felt.\n Using the European Southern Observatory\u2019s Very Large Telescope in Chile, scientists confirmed the theory that Triton has seasons in 2010. At that point in time, it was observed that summer was well under way, with the summer solstice occurring back in 2000.\n During Triton\u2019s summer the atmosphere thickens due to more direct sunlight, whereas in winter the atmosphere which is composed mostly of nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide condenses and falls as snow.\n If you don\u2019t think that\u2019s crazy then get this \u2013 Triton\u2019s seasons last for 40 years!\n So next time you\u2019re about to complain about summer taking too long to end, think again!\n The 40% of Triton that has been mapped so far is covered by a frozen layer of nitrogen.\n Due to this knowledge, it has been calculated that it is extremely unlikely for the remainder of Triton\u2019s surface to be any different.\n While the ice layer is primarily made up of frozen nitrogen, it also consists of frozen carbon dioxide and regular old ice.\n The icy nature of Triton is the cause of its high albedo, which in other words means that it reflects between 60-95% of the light that reaches its surface.\nTriton was named after a sea god from Greek mythology.\n
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Triton has seasons, and they\u2019re longer than you\u2019d expect.\n
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Triton has a frozen crust.\n
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