Hello Steemians!
Taking you to a journey to Triton today, Neptune's largest moon.
Neptune and Triton
Triton was discovered on October 19, 1846, by William Lassell, an English astronomer
William Lassell
It was named after the Greek god of the Sea.
Since very accurate measurements were made in the 19th century, Triton wasn't observed for a long time not much was known about it, till the launch of the Voyager 2 spacecraft which then offered deeper view into the moon.
The Voyager 2 spacecraft
Triton has a diameter of 2,700 km and is the seventh largest moon in the Solar System.
Photomosaic of Triton - Voyager 2
Triton has a very similar composition to Pluto ans is believed to have been a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, which was then captured by Neptune and remained with it since.
Triton and Pluto
It is accounting for 99.5% of the mass of all objects orbiting Neptune and is one of the few moons that is geologically active.
Triton is covered with a transparent layer of frozen nitrogen and only 40% of it's surface has been observed so far.
Triton - artist's impression
The atmosphere on Triton is mostly made out of nitrogen with small traces of carbon monoxide and methane and the temperature is around -240°C.
Voyager 2 - clouds above Triton's limb
Scientists proposed a mission to send a spacecraft to Triton, called Triton Hopper, which would collect nitrogen on the surface and use it as fuel to hop around and explore more of Triton.
Concept of the Triton Hopper
Hope you enjoyed reading today's journey to Triton and remembered or even learned some new things about Neptune's largest moon!
Stay tuned for more posts about the Universe!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org
https://www.emaze.com
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov
https://www.pinterest.com
https://www.wired.com
https://www.nasa.gov
http://www.space.com
https://www.youtube.com
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