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The amount of energy dissipated was likely enough to contribute to Triton's differentiation into a rocky core and icy mantle, potentially to the point of melting the satellite entirely. Early in this phase, Triton was dominated by strong turbulent cooling, with heat transferred by strong convection in its liquid water ocean. As the magnitude of ...
It is the only moon of Neptune massive enough to be rounded under its own gravity and hosts a thin, hazy atmosphere. Triton orbits Neptune in a retrograde orbit—revolving in the opposite direction to the parent planet's rotation—the only large moon in the Solar System to do so.
Neptune brightened about 10% between 1980 and 2000 mostly due to the changing of the seasons. [177] Neptune may continue to brighten as it approaches perihelion in 2042. The apparent magnitude currently ranges from 7.67 to 7.89 with a mean of 7.78 and a standard deviation of 0.06. [18] Prior to 1980, the planet was as faint as magnitude 8.0. [18]
This definition is independent of the object's direction of rotation about its axis. This implies that an object's direction of rotation, when viewed from above its north pole, may be either clockwise or counterclockwise. The direction of rotation exhibited by most objects in the solar system (including Sun and Earth) is counterclockwise.
The term does not refer to shape; Triton, for example, is a round moon but is considered irregular due to its orbit and origins. As of February 2024, 228 irregular moons are known, orbiting all four of the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune).
The total amount of energy emitted per unit time by a star, galaxy, or other astronomical object. In SI units, luminosity is measured in joules per second or watts, and is often given in terms of astronomical magnitude. Luminosity is related to but distinct from visual brightness. lunar Of or relating to the Earth's Moon. lunar phase. Also Moon ...
All of Neptune's inner moons are dark objects: their geometric albedo ranges from 7 to 10%. [25] Their spectra indicate that they are made from water ice contaminated by some very dark material, probably complex organic compounds. In this respect, the inner Neptunian moons are similar to the inner Uranian moons. [6]
A celestial object's axial tilt indicates whether the object's rotation is prograde or retrograde. Axial tilt is the angle between an object's rotation axis and a line perpendicular to its orbital plane passing through the object's centre. An object with an axial tilt up to 90 degrees is rotating in the same direction as its primary.