Triton
Triton is the largest natural satellite of the planet Neptune. It was discovered on October 10, 1846, by English astronomer William Lassell. It is the only large moon in the Solar System with a retrograde orbit, an orbit in the opposite direction to its planet's rotation.[2][11] At 2,700 kilometres (1,700 mi) in diameter, it is the seventh-largest moon in the Solar System. Because of its retrograde orbit and composition similar to Pluto's, Triton is thought to have been a dwarf planet captured from the Kuiper belt.[12] Triton has a surface of mostly frozen nitrogen, a mostly water-ice crust,[13] an icy mantle and a substantial core
of rock and metal. The core makes up two-thirds of its total mass.
Triton has a mean density of 2.061 grams per cubic centimetre
(0.0745 lb/cu in)[5] and is composed of approximately 15–35% water ice.[6]
Triton is one of the few moons in the Solar System known to be geologically active. As a consequence, its surface is relatively young with sparse impact craters, with a complex geological history revealed in intricate cryovolcanic and tectonic terrains. Part of its surface has geysers erupting sublimated nitrogen gas, contributing to a tenuous nitrogen atmosphere less than 1/70,000 the pressure of Earth's atmosphere at sea level.[6]
Wikipedia
Triton is one of the few moons in the Solar System known to be geologically active. As a consequence, its surface is relatively young with sparse impact craters, with a complex geological history revealed in intricate cryovolcanic and tectonic terrains. Part of its surface has geysers erupting sublimated nitrogen gas, contributing to a tenuous nitrogen atmosphere less than 1/70,000 the pressure of Earth's atmosphere at sea level.[6]
Wikipedia
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