All Questions
3 questions
3
votes
2
answers
311
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Why doesn't Triton orbit over Neptune's equator?
In this answer, I wrote (on another account) why most moons orbit over their planet's equator.
Any rotating planet has an equatorial bulge that shifts its moons' orbits around its equator over long ...
- 2,799
5
votes
1
answer
497
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Why is the eccentricity of Triton so low?
Triton is very special, since its orbit is retrograde respect Neptune, its obliquity is near 0° and its orbit is almost circular (according to Harris (1984) is $5 \times 10^{-4}$). I'm familiar with ...
- 1,870
11
votes
1
answer
752
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What is the current accepted hypothesis of what caused Triton's retrograde orbit around Neptune?
According to the NASA overview about Triton, this, the largest satellite of Neptune is unique in that it has a retrograde orbit around Neptune. The page also suggests that Triton is a captured Kuiper ...
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