When was Triton discovered by William Lassell?
William Lassell discovered Triton on the 10th of October 1846. This discovery occurred just seventeen days after Neptune itself was found by Urbain Le Verrier and Johann Galle.
William Lassell discovered Triton on the 10th of October 1846. This discovery occurred just seventeen days after Neptune itself was found by Urbain Le Verrier and Johann Galle.
Triton orbits Neptune in a retrograde direction opposite to the planet's rotation, making it unique among all large moons. Its orbital inclination measures one hundred fifty-seven degrees relative to Neptune's rotation axis.
Astrophysicists believe Triton originated in the Kuiper belt before being captured by Neptune's gravity. This region extends from just inside Neptune's orbit to about fifty astronomical units from the Sun.
Voyager 2 revealed blocky outcrops, ridges, troughs, furrows, hollows, plateaus, and icy plains across the surface. Fifty-five percent of the terrain is covered with frozen nitrogen ice while water ice makes up fifteen to thirty-five percent.
Analysis of crater density indicates regions ranging from six million to fifty million years old. Only forty percent of Triton's terrain was imaged during the single encounter with Voyager 2.