When considering what it would be like to live outside of our warm and cozy planet Earth, the thought can be quite daunting, and even frightening. When looking at the concept of living on Neptune’s moon Triton, it presents some very interesting features and challenges.
The most apparent difference between Triton and our lovely planet is that the temperature would drastically drop. This would mean that on a regular basis, there is no way that someone could take a walk or do anything for that matter without serious heating capabilities. The temperature range would be about -391 Fahrenheit, making Neptune’s moon Triton the coldest moon and even the coldest object currently identified in space.
The other differences between Triton and Earth that one would experience would range from being able to see the sun, which is only a speck in the sky on Triton. You would also have a hard time having a nice conversation over the phone, which on Triton it would easily take over 3 hours for any words to reach back and forth due to the lack of both light and radio waves.
There are some very unique traits that Triton possesses despite all of the negative attributes. The polar ends of Triton take turns bathing in the sunlight for 80 years at a time. Neptune’s moon Triton is also the oldest known moon in our solar system that does not go in the same direction rotationally as its parent planet, and it also possesses extremely low levels of gravity, as it only has 8 percent of what we are used to experiencing here on Earth.
As far as the original history and discovery of Triton is concerned, the first time that anyone on Earth could get a good look at Triton was when Voyager 2 happened to fly by in 1989. It was able to capture images of both Neptune and of Triton, as well as some of the moon’s geographical features. Triton actually has multiple areas where plumes of dust and a mix of gases erupt randomly across its surfaces. There is also no way to tell how deadly or how large these plumes actually are as the images were not enough to convey this information.
Where Triton’s composition and geological features are concerned, Triton is composed mainly of nitrogen ice and rock, which explains its low temperatures, as well as its distance from the sun. Triton is actually at quite an angle in relation to Neptune, so if you were to stand on Triton facing Neptune, you would be able to see both of its polar regions at the same time. Also, Triton possesses some of the most interesting atmospheres known in our solar system. The pressure is currently 20,000 times less than what we have access to on Earth and has continuously and steadily grown as both of the poles of Triton have been exposed to the sun long enough to start to expel built up gases.
If you were to consider living on Neptune’s moon Triton in the far reaches of space, it would definitely be quite the adjustment. However, with everything that regards deep space exploration, everything is new and everything is an adventure.
