Nereid
From FenWiki
| Nereid | |
| Planetary characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Orbit | 5,513,400 km from Neptune (mean) 1,372,000 km (periapsis) 9,655,000 km (apoapsis) |
| Diameter | 170±25 km (equatorial) |
| Day | solar: 0.48 days |
| Mean Temperature | ~50 K (mean) |
Nereid, also known as Neptune II, is the third-largest moon of Neptune. It has a highly eccentric orbit, hinting that either it is a captured object or its orbit was perturbed when Triton was captured by Neptune.
Nereid was discovered by Gerard P. Kuiper in 1949, who named it after the Nereids who attended the Roman god Neptune.
The Soviet Air Force research vessel Ptichka was the first ship to land on Nereid.
