Space & Astronomy
Where did Triton come from ?
By
T.K. RandallJune 6, 2011 ·
4 comments
Image Credit: ESA
Neptune's moon Tritan is unusual in that it is geologically active and has a retrograde orbit.
The last good look at Triton scientists had was back during the Voyager 2 mission in 1989, images sent back by the spacecraft revealed a smooth surface and nitrogen geysers. Now scientists are urging for a return mission to Neptune to take a closer look at its engimatic moon.
The current thinking is that Triton was not a rock but probably a Kuiper Belt object that was somehow pushed Neptune's way. But since we don't really know what Kuiper Belt objects look like, it's hard to tell.
Source:
Technology Review |
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