| Triton |
| The largest and seventh satellite of Neptune is Triton. It is probably about 25% water and the rest rocky material. It was discovered in 1846 by Lassel a few weeks after Neptune was discovered. The name came from Greek mythology, where Triton is a god of the sea. It is usually portrayed as having the head and trunk of a man and the tail of a fish. The orbit of Triton is retrograde, and it orbits backwards. Because of this, Triton, in the very distant future, will break up or crash into Neptune. Tritons surface is quite young. Most of the southern hemispher is covered with an ice cap of frozen methane and nitrogen. One of the most interesting things about the moon is that it has ice volcanoes. It is one of few bodies in the solar system other than earth that is volcanically active. Diameter: 2700 km Mass: 2.14e22 kg Orbit: 354,760 km from Neptune |