neptune-sats

SECTION 7. The Neptune Satellites.

Here is a list of Neptune’s close satellites, with their sidereal revolution periods (which are the same as their sidereal rotation periods), (expressed in Earth days,) The only close Neptune satellites of any appreciable size are Triton and Proteus. The other satellites on this list are very small.

Naiad 0.294396 and Thalassa 0.311485 and Despina 0.334655 and Galatea 0.428745 and Larissa 0.554654 and Proteus 1.122315 and Triton 5.876854 (which has retrograde Revolution – The minus sign preceding Triton’s period indicates retrograde revolution.) and Nereid 360.13619 ED. (Note:- Nereid is NOT a CLOSE satellite to Neptune.) (Data source:- Solar System Dynamics, by Murray and Dermott, Published by Cambridge University Press, 2008, Appendix A, Table A.13. The satellites of Neptune.) The orbital periods of these satellites are in the column entitled “T (d)” which means “Time” taken to perform one complete orbit round the planet – expressed in Earth days. The extreme right hand column shows the radii (R) of each of these satellites.

Note:- For these satellites, the rotation period is precisely equal to the orbital period, due to “tidal locking”.

The radiuses of The Neptune Satellites (expressed in km.):- Naiad 29, and Thalassa 40, and Despina 74, and Galatea 79, and Larissa 94, and Proteus 209, and Triton 1353, and Nereid 170.

Here is a scan of the relevant data from this table:-