Triton
The largest moon of Neptune, named after Triton, the merman son of Poseidon, notable for being the only large moon in the solar system that orbits in the opposite direction to its planet
The Meaning of Triton
Triton is the largest moon of Neptune, discovered just seventeen days after Neptune itself in 1846 by the astronomer William Lassell. It was named after Triton, the merman son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, who served as his father's herald and could calm or raise the seas by blowing his conch-shell trumpet. In Greek art, Triton was depicted as a merman — human from the waist up and fish-tailed below — and he often appeared as a guide for sailors. In later mythology, "tritons" (lowercase) became an entire race of merman attendants who accompanied Poseidon across the oceans. The moon Triton is one of the most unusual objects in the solar system: it orbits Neptune in the retrograde direction, opposite to the planet's rotation, which strongly suggests it was captured from the Kuiper Belt rather than forming alongside Neptune. Its surface, at minus 235 degrees Celsius, is the coldest measured surface in the solar system. Despite this extreme cold, Triton has active geysers that shoot nitrogen gas up to eight kilometres above the surface, making it one of the few geologically active moons known.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
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