Author Question: What are the two largest moons of Neptune and what makes them peculiar objects in our Solar System? ... (Read 76 times)

nautica902

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 591
What are the two largest moons of Neptune and what makes them peculiar objects in our Solar System?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What are the two largest moons of Neptune and what makes them peculiar objects in our Solar System?
 
  What will be an ideal response?



anyusername12131

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 327
Answer to Question 1

The two largest moons, Triton and Nereid, have been a puzzle for years because of their peculiar orbits. Triton has a nearly circular orbit, but it travels retrogradeclockwise as seen from the north. This makes Triton the only large satellite in the Solar System with a backward orbit; all other retrograde satellites are very small. The other Neptunian satellite visible from Earth, Nereid, moves in the prograde direction, but its orbit is highly elliptical and very large. Nereid takes 359.4 days to orbit Neptune once. Triton is so cold (35 K) that it can hold a thin atmosphere. Triton is very efficient at absorbing sunlight. Its thin atmosphere does not dim sunlight, and its crust is composed of ices that are partially transparent to light. As the light penetrates into the ice and is absorbed, it warms the ices. However, the crust is not very transparent to infrared radiation, so the heat is trapped in the ice. So the crust of Triton appears to be heated, in part, by an icy form of the greenhouse effect.

Answer to Question 2

The two largest moons, Triton and Nereid, have been a puzzle for years because of their peculiar orbits. Triton has a nearly circular orbit, but it travels retrogradeclockwise as seen from the north. This makes Triton the only large satellite in the Solar System with a backward orbit; all other retrograde satellites are very small. The other Neptunian satellite visible from Earth, Nereid, moves in the prograde direction, but its orbit is highly elliptical and very large. Nereid takes 359.4 days to orbit Neptune once. Triton is so cold (35 K) that it can hold a thin atmosphere. Triton is very efficient at absorbing sunlight. Its thin atmosphere does not dim sunlight, and its crust is composed of ices that are partially transparent to light. As the light penetrates into the ice and is absorbed, it warms the ices. However, the crust is not very transparent to infrared radiation, so the heat is trapped in the ice. So the crust of Triton appears to be heated, in part, by an icy form of the greenhouse effect.



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
 

Did you know?

Fungal nail infections account for up to 30% of all skin infections. They affect 5% of the general population—mostly people over the age of 70.

Did you know?

Oliver Wendell Holmes is credited with introducing the words "anesthesia" and "anesthetic" into the English language in 1846.

Did you know?

A headache when you wake up in the morning is indicative of sinusitis. Other symptoms of sinusitis can include fever, weakness, tiredness, a cough that may be more severe at night, and a runny nose or nasal congestion.

Did you know?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released reports detailing the deaths of infants (younger than 1 year of age) who died after being given cold and cough medications. This underscores the importance of educating parents that children younger than 2 years of age should never be given over-the-counter cold and cough medications without consulting their physicians.

Did you know?

Blood is approximately twice as thick as water because of the cells and other components found in it.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library