Neptune's Moon Nereid Might Be the Sole Intact Survivor of an Ancient Lunar Collision
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A recent study suggests that Neptune's moon Nereid may be the only intact survivor of an ancient lunar collision. This research indicates that Triton, Neptune's largest moon, likely disrupted the orbits of other moons when it entered the Neptunian system. The findings provide new insights into the history of Neptune and its moons, as well as the early solar system.
- ▪Nereid is proposed to be the sole intact survivor of an ancient lunar collision.
- ▪Triton, Neptune's largest moon, is believed to have entered the Neptunian system from the Kuiper Belt.
- ▪The study suggests that Triton's capture may have destroyed Neptune's original moons, except for Nereid.
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Neptune’s Moon Nereid Might Be the Sole Intact Survivor of an Ancient Lunar Collision A study suggests that the ice giant’s largest moon, Triton, made a dramatic entrance to the Neptunian system long ago, kicking Nereid outward and destroying the planet’s other original lunar companions Margherita Bassi | Daily Correspondent May 21, 2026 4:16 p.m. ShareCopy linkEmailSMSFacebookXRedditLinkedInBlueskyPrintAdd as preferred source Neptune, which appears blue because of methane in its atmosphere, has a strange set of moons. NASA / JPL Neptune, the farthest planet from the sun, is surrounded by 16 known moons—and many of them are weirdos. Now, researchers propose that one of those oddballs, a wide-orbiting moon called Nereid, is the sole intact survivor of an ancient lunar collision.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Smithsonian Magazine.
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