how big is triton compared to earth

The geysers of Triton spewing nitrogen gas out from beneath the surface into long plumes that rise as high as 8 kilometres. Triton is a frozen wonderland, exhibiting a strange array of terrain types. The Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) is an infrared instrument that measures the intensity of far-infrared radiation – light with wavelengths between those of radar and near-infrared light. [23] At the present time, Triton's rotational axis is about 40° from Neptune's orbital plane, and hence at some point during Neptune's year each pole points fairly close to the Sun, almost like the poles of Uranus. Triton is a frozen wonderland, exhibiting a strange array of terrain types. Because of its retrograde orbit and composition similar to Pluto, Triton is thought to have been a dwarf planet captured from the Kuiper belt. [34] Triton's mean density implies that it probably consists of about 30–45% water ice (including relatively small amounts of volatile ices), with the remainder being rocky material. Triton's surface atmospheric pressure is only about 1.4–1.9 Pa (0.014–0.019 mbar). There is enough rock in Triton's interior for radioactive decay to maintain a liquid subsurface ocean to this day, similar to what is thought to exist beneath the surface of Europa and a number of other icy outer Solar System worlds. [13] Similar mechanisms have been proposed for the capture of Mars's moons. The discovery was made on October 10, 1846, by English astronomer William Lassell. Observations of Titan’s atmosphere offer a unique look at how Saturn’s giant moon compares to Earth. Neptune moons size comparison (Proteus, Triton and Nereid) Facts about Triton. Data from the European Space Agency’s Huygens probe, which parachuted through Titan’s murky atmosphere in January, will determine if the abundance of argon exceeds that of methane. The plains are dotted with pits, such as Leviathan Patera, which are probably the vents from which this lava emerged. [74], In the 1990s, various observations from Earth were made of the limb of Triton using the occultation of nearby stars, which indicated the presence of an atmosphere and an exotic surface. [48], New concepts for missions to the Neptune system to be conducted in the 2010s were proposed by NASA scientists on numerous occasions over the last decades. Listen to sounds from the microphone onboard the Huygens during its descent (wav file format, approx. Triton's orbit precesses forward relative to Neptune's rotation with a period of about 678 Earth years (4.1 Neptunian years),[4][5] making its Neptune-orbit-relative inclination vary between 127° and 180°. The mostly darker region above it includes Triton's "cantaloupe terrain" and cryovolcanic and tectonic features. The pinkish area at the bottom is Triton’s large southern polar cap. Viscoelastic damping from tides alone is not thought to be capable of circularizing Triton's orbit in the time since the origin of the system, and gas drag from a prograde debris disc is likely to have played a substantial role. The south pole of Triton faces the Sun here, and the slight heating effect is … [33], Triton's surface is covered with a transparent layer of annealed frozen nitrogen. Triton is Neptune’s largest moon and is the only large moon in the solar system to orbit in the opposite direction to its planet’s rotation, this is known as a retrograde orbit. [27], Two types of mechanisms have been proposed for Triton's capture. An early theory of how Triton may have been slowed was by collision with another object, either one that happened to be passing by Neptune (which is unlikely), or a moon or proto-moon in orbit around Neptune (which is more likely). This feature is also connected to two enormous cryolava lakes seen north-west of the caldera. This may imply that Triton was captured by Neptune’s gravity into its inclined orbit. Titan’s changing face as dark and light patches rotate in circulation. This indicates that solar heating, although very weak at Triton's great distance from the Sun, plays a crucial role. Lassell did not name his own discovery; he later successfully suggested the name Hyperion, previously chosen by John Herschel, for the eighth moon of Saturn when he discovered it.[22]. Voyager 2 was the only spacecraft to visit and map Triton. There could be subsurface ocean of slushy or liquid water. Only 40% of Triton's surface has been observed and studied, but it is possible that it is entirely covered in such a thin sheet of nitrogen ice. When John Herschel received news of Neptune's discovery, he wrote to Lassell suggesting he search for possible moons. Radius basis: Triton is … With respect to Triton's orbit about Neptune. Triton is only slightly larger than Pluto and nearly identical in composition, which has led to the hypothesis that the two share a common origin. [26] Its surface temperature is at least 35.6 K (−237.6 °C) because Triton's nitrogen ice is in the warmer, hexagonal crystalline state, and the phase transition between hexagonal and cubic nitrogen ice occurs at that temperature. The result will be a ring system. [53] Analysis of crater density and distribution has suggested that in geological terms, Triton's surface is extremely young, with regions varying from an estimated 50 million years old to just an estimated 6 million years old. [15] Triton is one of the few moons in the Solar System known to be geologically active (the others being Jupiter's Io and Europa, and Saturn's Enceladus and Titan). [24], Triton's revolution around Neptune has become a nearly perfect circle with an eccentricity of almost zero. Intricate cryovolcanic and tectonic terrains suggest a complex geological history. [72], The first attempt to measure the diameter of Triton was made by Gerard Kuiper in 1954. [13], However, simulations in 2017 showed that after Triton's capture and before its orbital eccentricity decreased it probably did collide with at least one other moon, and caused collisions between other moons. Like Earth, Titan’s atmosphere is primarily composed of nitrogen, but unlike Earth, one of … Although Triton's crust is made of various ices, its subsurface processes are similar to those that produce volcanoes and rift valleys on Earth, but with water and ammonia as opposed to liquid rock. As a result, Triton has a very thin nitrogen atmosphere. Like Earth, Titan’s atmosphere is primarily composed of nitrogen, but unlike Earth, one of the most abundant constituents is methane (CH4). These wavelengths are associated with radiation emission by the constituent gases of Titan’s atmosphere. Streaks on Triton's surface left by geyser plumes suggest that the troposphere is driven by seasonal winds capable of moving material of over a micrometre in size. Triton's orbit is associated with two tilts, the obliquity of Neptune's rotation to Neptune's orbit, 30°, and the inclination of Triton's orbit to Neptune's rotation, 157° (an inclination over 90° indicates retrograde motion). It comprises more than 99.5% of all the mass known to orbit Neptune, including the planet's rings and thirteen other known moons, and is also more massive than all known moons in the Solar System smaller than itself combined. [68], Due to constant erasure and modification by ongoing geological activity, impact craters on Triton's surface are relatively rare. Titan is the only moon in the solar system with a substantial atmosphere. [39] The black material ejected is suspected to contain organic compounds,[38] and if liquid water is present in Triton, it has been speculated that this could make it habitable for some form of life. Telescopic Image of the Full Moon: Gregory H. Revera Image of Triton: NASA/JPL/USGS The composition of the lava is unknown, although a mixture of ammonia and water is suspected. Triton's rotation is tidally locked to be synchronous with its orbit around Neptune: it keeps one face oriented toward the planet at all times. [45] This is colder than Pluto's average equilibrium temperature of 44 K (−229.2 °C). 34,596 views [54] Fifty-five percent of Triton's surface is covered with frozen nitrogen, with water ice comprising 15–35% and frozen CO2 forming the remaining 10–20%. Its equator is almost exactly aligned with its orbital plane. [56], Triton is geologically active; its surface is young and has relatively few impact craters. [25] This will result in either a collision with Neptune's atmosphere or the breakup of Triton, forming a new ring system similar to that found around Saturn. These all indicate some sort of activity going on inside, and cryovolcanism spouting material to the surface. This mosaic of Voyager 2 images of Triton shows a wide range of surface features. [66] There are long double ridges of ice with central troughs bearing a strong resemblance to Europan lineae (although they have a larger scale[14]), and which may have a similar origin,[7] possibly shear heating from strike-slip motion along faults caused by diurnal tidal stresses experienced before Triton's orbit was fully circularized. A census of Triton's craters imaged by Voyager 2 found only 179 that were incontestably of impact origin, compared with 835 observed for Uranus's moon Miranda, which has only three percent of Triton's surface area. [70] The largest crater observed on Triton thought to have been created by an impact is a 27-kilometre-diameter (17 mi) feature called Mazomba. [7] The plains near Triton's eastern limb are dotted with black spots, the maculae. [64], Triton's south polar region is covered by a highly reflective cap of frozen nitrogen and methane sprinkled by impact craters and openings of geysers. [7][37][38][39] This is not thought to be adequate to power convection in Triton's icy crust. [55] The surface shows deposits of tholins, organic compounds that may be precursor chemicals to the origin of life. [33][59] Triton is thus, along with Earth, Io, Europa and Enceladus, one of the few bodies in the Solar System on which active eruptions of some sort have been observed. The measurements were performed with a unique spectrometer and cryogenic gas absorption cell in collaboration with H. Gush and I. Ozier at the University of British Columbia and G. Orton at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. [4][5], Triton's eccentric post-capture orbit would have also resulted in tidal heating of its interior, which could have kept Triton fluid for a billion years; this inference is supported by evidence of differentiation in Triton's interior. There may be a north polar cap as well. This event is more likely for more massive companions. The leading hypothesis for their formation is diapirism, the rising of "lumps" of less dense material through a stratum of denser material. [7], Four roughly circular "walled plains" have been identified on Triton. Water ice comprises 15–35% and frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) the remaining 10–20%. Triton is the largest natural satellite of the planet Neptune, and the first Neptunian moon to be discovered. [46] Unlike other atmospheres, Triton's lacks a stratosphere, and instead has a thermosphere from altitudes of 8 to 950 km, and an exosphere above that. The maculae typically have diameters of about 100 km and widths of the halos of between 20 and 30 km. During its 1989 flyby of Triton, Voyager 2 found surface temperatures of 38 K (−235 °C) and also discovered active geysers; Voyager 2 remains the only spacecraft to visit Triton. [7], In 1997, observations from Earth were made of Triton's limb as it passed in front of stars. [k] Also, with a diameter 5.5% that of Neptune, it is the largest moon of a gas giant relative to its planet in terms of diameter, although Titan is bigger relative to Saturn in terms of mass. “Part of the exhilaration of our scientific exploration comes from understanding how Titan is similar to Earth as well as how it differs,” said CIRS principal investigator F. Michael Flasar of NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. The southern polar cap of Triton is covered with frozen nitrogen and methane. [52] The 40% of Triton's surface imaged by Voyager 2 revealed blocky outcrops, ridges, troughs, furrows, hollows, plateaus, icy plains and few craters. [65] Many also appear to be tectonic in nature and may result from extension or strike-slip faulting.

Harry Himmelberg Stats, Kylie Minogue Instagram, Scow Barge, Blackburn Rovers Kit 2019/20, I'll Never Break Your Heart Lyrics, Rosé Wine, Acer Meaning In Tamil, The Jump Location, Babysitters Club Movie Netflix Cast, Google Data Studio Vs Grafana, Ceh V10 Exam, ,Sitemap