3/17/2023 0 Comments Neptunes unique features![]() Left image from NASA/JPL/USGS and right image from Figure 1 in today’s paper. Also note the two dark fan-shaped features in the upper left of the image. Zoomed view showing Mahilani Plume and its long dark cloud (right). ![]() Note the two distinct terrains and dark streaks in the southern terrain. The northern portion of the moon wasn’t captured in this image. A long-standing hypothesis (the “solid state greenhouse effect”) has steered most of our understanding of this process, but today’s paper suggests we reconsider several alternatives and, if we’re feeling bold, try to resolve them soon with a new flyby mission - before it’s too late! Figure 1: Image of Triton’s southern hemisphere from Voyager 2 flyby (left). It wasn’t until Voyager 2 had its brief visit in 1989 that we got a glimpse of Triton up close and discovered dark, streaky clouds of material apparently emanating from the icy surface (see Fig. Triton is also interesting for its unusual orbit (backwards & tilted), which indicates it was likely captured by Neptune after originally forming out in the Kuiper Belt, among Pluto’s posse. Status: Accepted to Icarus The plumes of TritonĪt present, only a few of the moons in our solar system are confirmed to have active geological processes: Io with its violent volcanism, Titan with lakes and rivers of liquid methane, Enceladus with its marvelous geysers (maybe Europa too!), and Triton with its mysterious dark plumes. Umurhanįirst Author’s Institution: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA, USA Title: Hypotheses for Triton’s Plumes: New Analyses and Future Remote Sensing TestsĪuthors: J.D.
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