yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

How to catch a Dwarf Planet -- Triton MM#3


2m read
·Nov 2, 2024

The 14 moons of Neptune are a strange bunch. Most of them are small, potato-shaped pieces of ice and rock. Some are so far away from Neptune that they need 29 years to circle Neptune once. Almost all of them are asteroids trapped by Neptune's gravity.

99.5% of all the mass around Neptune is concentrated in Triton. It's the 7th biggest moon and more massive than all other known moons in the solar system that are smaller than itself combined. Its surface area is about as big as the mainland of Russia and Australia together.

Also, Triton is one of only four objects in the solar system that we know is geologically active. Triton orbits Neptune in the 'wrong' direction, against the rotation of Neptune, which is unique in our solar system for an object as big as Triton.

We can conclude from this that Triton hasn't always been a moon of Neptune, but probably was a dwarf planet that was forced into submission by Neptune when the solar system was younger and more chaotic. The most popular theory here is that Triton was once part of a double system.

When Neptune migrated to the outer edges of the solar system, its gravity interfered with the double system and catapulted the other object into space, while Triton was forced into orbit. This would have disrupted the orbits of other Neptune moons rather violently and would most likely have either pushed them away from Neptune or let them collide or crash into Neptune.

This would explain why Neptune's moons are so dominated by Triton. But this will end one day. Triton is being slowed down by Neptune, and eventually, it will either crash into it or be ground by Neptune's gravity into a huge ring system, similar to Saturn's.

So, don't buy real estate on Triton.

Fixed English Subtitles by Mads Hagemann Nielsen - 2015.
Subtitles by the Amara.org community.

More Articles

View All
THE FED JUST BAILED OUT THE STOCK MARKET
What’s up, Graham? It’s guys here. If the wait is finally over after almost two months of silence, as of a few hours ago, the Federal Reserve just reduced the rate hike to 25 basis points. This is signaling that even higher rate increases could soon be co…
12 Stoic Remedies For Feeling LONELY OR DEPRESSED | Stoicism
[Music] Did you know that the average person feels profoundly lonely at least once in their lifetime? Yet here we are in a world more connected than ever before, but deep down, many of us are searching for a real connection, a cure to the silent epidemic …
Sam Altman - How to Succeed with a Startup
Okay, today I’m going to talk about how to succeed with a startup. Obviously, more than can be said here in 20 minutes, but I will do the best I can. The most important thing, the number one lesson we try to teach startups, is that the degree to which you…
The Secret Culture of Orcas | Podcast | Overheard at National Geographic
We’re up there just about the time that the polar night occurs, so that means it’s going to be dark essentially 24 hours a day. The sun never gets above the mountain peaks, so the light levels are extremely low. You’re in a boat in these little coves or, …
The Mysteries of the Moai on Easter Island | National Geographic
[Music] Imposing stone sentinels stand guard on Rapanui, a volcanic island that anchors the western point of the Polynesian triangle in the South Pacific. You might know it as Easter Island. [Music] About 42% of the island is Rapa Nui National Park, a wo…
Help all students reach their SAT goals with a Khan Academy district partnership
What’d you get on the math part? 4 30. What did you think you needed? I don’t know, my teacher told me 420. Really? Oh my God, I’m so sorry. You did it, and it’s a big weight lifted off your shoulder. It’s been happening all day; I’m graduating. The diff…