APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Flying Past Neptune's Moon Triton
Explanation: What would it look like to fly past Triton , the largest moon of planet Neptune ? Only one spacecraft has ever done this -- and the images of this dramatic encounter have been gathered into a video . In 1989, the Voyager 2 robotic spacecraft shot through the Neptune system with cameras blazing. Triton is slightly smaller than Earth's Moon but has ice volcanoes and a surface rich in frozen nitrogen . The first sequence in the video shows Voyager's approach to Triton , which, with the exception of an overall false green tint , appears in approximately true color. The mysterious cantaloupe terrain seen under the spacecraft soon changed from light to dark, with the terminator of night crossing underneath . After closest approach, Voyager pivoted to see the departing moon, now visible as a diminishing crescent . In 2015, the robotic New Horizons spacecraft famously flew past Pluto , an orb of similar size to Triton.
Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
| Date | June 23, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit: NASA ; JPL , Voyager 2, Digital composition: Paul Schenk ( LPI , USRA ) |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |


