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How is Triton different from other moons?
Triton is the largest of Neptune’s 13 moons. It is unusual because it is the only large moon in our solar system that orbits in the opposite direction of its planet’s rotation―a retrograde orbit. Like our own moon, Triton is locked in synchronous rotation with Neptune―one side faces the planet at all times.
Why is Titan different from other moons?
Titan is bigger than Earth’s moon, and larger than even the planet Mercury. This mammoth moon is the only moon in the solar system with a dense atmosphere, and it’s the only world besides Earth that has standing bodies of liquid, including rivers, lakes and seas, on its surface.
How does Titan differ from all the other moons in the solar system?
Among our solar system’s more than 150 known moons, Titan is the only one with a substantial atmosphere. And of all the places in the solar system, Titan is the only place besides Earth known to have liquids in the form of rivers, lakes and seas on its surface.
What is bigger Titan or Triton?
It is second in terms of relative diameter of moons to a gas giant; Titan being 1/22.609 of Saturn’s diameter, Triton is larger in diameter relative to Neptune at 1/18.092.
What does Titan look like on the surface?
Nearly two-thirds of Titan’s surface consists of flat plains, the map reveals, and 17% is covered in sandy dunes shaped by the wind, mostly around the equator. Around 14% of the surface is classified as ‘hummocky’ — hilly or mountainous — and 1.5% is ‘labyrinth’ terrain, with valleys carved by rain and erosion.
What does Titan look like?
The thick atmosphere is orange due to a dense organonitrogen haze. Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and the second-largest natural satellite in the Solar System. Frequently described as a planet-like moon, Titan is 50% larger (in diameter) than Earth’s Moon and 80% more massive.
Which is the largest moon of Neptune Titan or Triton?
Neptune ’s largest moon Triton (don’t get its name confused with Titan) has a diameter of 2720 kilometers and a density of 2.1 g/cm 3, indicating that it’s probably composed of about 75% rock mixed with 25% water ice. Measurements indicate that Triton’s surface has the coldest temperature of any of the worlds our robot representatives have visited.
Why is Triton the only moon in the Solar System?
It is unusual because it is the only large moon in our solar system that orbits in the opposite direction of its planet’s rotation―a retrograde orbit. Scientists think Triton is a Kuiper Belt Object captured by Neptune’s gravity millions of years ago.
What makes Titan different from all other moons?
Presumably it also has a similar composition—about half ice and half rock. However, Titan is unique among moons, with a thick atmosphere and lakes and rivers and falling rain (although these are not composed of water but of hydrocarbons such as ethane and methane, which can stay liquid at the frigid temperatures on Titan).
When did the Triton orbiter fly by Titan?
The orbiter, which included several cameras, spectrometers, and a radar imaging system, made dozens of close flybys of Titan between 2004 and 2015, each yielding radar and infrared images of portions of the surface (see Exploring the Outer Planets ).