Moons of the Solar System: Triton
Triton, Neptune’s moon, is a captured body from beyond
Triton is Neptune’s largest moon. It is named after the Greek messenger god of the seas and son of Poseidon (Neptune). It is one of the largest moons in our solar system.
Triton has a retrograde orbit, i.e., an orbit where it moves opposite to the rotation of the planet. We can deduce that it is geologically active because its surface is young. This means that while Triton should have had visible impact craters (all bodies in our solar system have been impacted by other bodies, at least small ones), but it doesn’t. This in turn means that material from inside the moon spills outwards, covering the surface. Since Triton is so far out in the cold, we can safely conclude that it has ice volcanoes and geysers.
Triton’s composition is similar to Pluto’s. It is primarily made up of rocky ice. It is larger than Pluto in size. Considering its composition, size, it being geologically active, as well as the fact that it has a retrograde orbit, scientists have concluded that Triton was once a dwarf planet and got captured by Neptune at some point.
Triton has a nitrogen atmosphere, which was imaged by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. No craft has visited it till date.
