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The planet Neptune has 16 known moons, which are named for minor water deities and a water creature in Greek mythology. [note 1] By far the largest of them is Triton, discovered by William Lassell on 10 October 1846, 17 days after the discovery of Neptune itself.
The moons of Neptune are named after characters from Greek or Roman mythology associated with Poseidon or his Roman counterpart, Neptune. The moons of Neptune are listed in order of their distance from the planet, with their year of discovery, orbital period in days, and diameter in kilometers.
Neptune Moons. Neptune has 16 known moons. English merchant and astronomer William Lassell discovered the first and largest moon – Triton – on Oct. 10, 1846, just 17 days after a Berlin observatory discovered Neptune.
Neptune has at least 14 moons and six known narrow rings. Each of the myriad particles that constitute the rings can be considered a tiny moon in its own orbit. The four moons nearest the planet orbit within the ring system, where at least some of them may interact gravitationally with the ring particles, keeping them from spreading out. Moons.
Explore all 16 of Neptune's moons along with their names and dates of discovery. The Neptunian system hosts some very strange and elusive moons.
Neptune has 14 moons (natural satellites). Before Voyager 2's flyby of the planet, Neptune's only known moons were Triton and Nereid. Neptune's moons are named after figures in Greek mythology usually connected with Poseidon or with water.
Neptune's innermost four moons—Naiad, Thalassa, Despina and Galatea—orbit close enough to be within Neptune's rings. The next-farthest out, Larissa , was originally discovered in 1981 when it had occulted a star.
Neptune has 16 known moons, including the largest moon, Triton, which was spotted Oct. 10, 1846 – just 17 days after Neptune was discovered.
Neptune's largest moon Triton was discovered on Oct. 10, 1846, by William Lassell, just 17 days after Johann Gottfried Galle discovered the planet. Since Neptune was named for the Roman god of the sea, its moons are named for various lesser sea gods and nymphs in Greek mythology.
Like all gas giants, Neptune has many natural moons, and they’re of no less scientific interest than the planet itself. So what is the number of moons on Neptune, what are their names, how and when were they discovered, and what do scientists know about them?