Glossary term: Tritón
Description: Tritón es la luna más grande del planeta Neptuno. Es más grande que Plutón y, de hecho, debido a las propiedades inusuales de su órbita y a lo que sabemos de su composición, es muy posible que Tritón sea un planeta enano capturado por Neptuno. Tritón tiene una superficie helada, con hielo de agua cubierto por una capa de nitrógeno congelado, que rodea un núcleo mayoritariamente rocoso. La Voyager 2, hasta ahora la única sonda espacial que ha visitado Tritón, descubrió que la luna es geológicamente activa, con géiseres que expulsan gas nitrógeno y, muy probablemente, con volcanes de hielo («criovolcanes»), análogos a los volcanes terrestres, pero con agua y amoníaco en lugar de roca fundida.
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Term and definition status: The original definition of this term in English have been approved by a research astronomer and a teacher The translation of this term and its definition is still awaiting approval
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Related Media
Neptune’s Moon Triton Fosters Rare Icy Union
Caption: An image of Neptune's moon Triton taken by NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft. This image covers the south pole region of Triton. Triton's surface is covered by an icy mix of frozen nitrogen, water and carbon dioxide. Below the surface some of these compounds are thought to be in a liquid state. These liquids can burst out of the surface through geysers. These geysers produce the dark streaks seen in this image.
Credit: NASA/JPL
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License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) icons



