The astrophysicists always have their eyes glued on the sky to avoid missing any event and there are certain times that they find figuring out a few specific patterns in the Solar System difficult. Recently, the scientists are confused over the action taking place on Neptune’s 2 moons. The moons named Naiad and Thalassa are 100 Kilometers in diameter and race around the planet in a pattern called dance of avoidance. Naiad’s orbit is 5° titled above that of Thalassa and thus, they orbit like nothing else on record. According to Jet Propulsion Laboratory Physicist Marina Brozovic, the repeating pattern is like resonance and the patterns seen amid Neptune and its moon is quite different from the others seen to date.
The moons’ orbit is in a timed and well-choreographed pattern that they do not collide with each other. The astrophysicists have found Naiad to take 7 Hours to circle Neptune, while Thalassa takes 7.5 Hours. The data collected between 1981 and 2016 by Voyager 2 and the Hubble Space Telescope has helped study the icy giants. These 2 moons are considered to be the inner moons and 2 of the 14 satellites of Neptune having a packed system with soft rings. Triton, one of the moons of Neptune can help explain the origin of Naiad & Thalassa and their unusual spinning pattern. They are assumed to be leftovers of the Triton, while Naiad is predicted to be kicked out and specific interaction with the planet has kept it titled. The inner moons’ composition and their co-dependencies could all be revealed with the help of Naiad and Thalassa.
Similarly, the researchers using the Hubble Space Telescope data found the winds to be extreme. They also found Neptune to be warmer than Uranus even though it is far away from the Sun. Neptune is a gas giant which makes studying it all the more difficult. According to the Planetary Scientist Michael Wong from the University of California, the outer surface temperature measurement showed the temperatures to be the same but it should not be the case as it receives less of solar rays. The gravitational contraction is found to help Neptune burp out heat.
Eric accomplished a Master’s Program in Electromagnetics, Fusion, and Space Engineering. He is an established entity in this field and serves as Global Industry News’s Lead Content Writer from last 3 years, with a total of 7 years’ experience. While he can craft news on any topic, he loves to write news articles on satellites, rockets, planets, and anything related to the Space domain. His exceptional managerial skills help him to manage the team of 4 writers working under his guidance. He insists on precision in work, which aids in his responsibility of performing the quality check of all news pieces by his teammates.