An international research team discovers two new satellites of Neptune! Research results that contribute to clarifying Neptune’s moons and the formation of planets in the solar system

Sofia Rekavicka Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Media, School of Sociology, Kindai University (Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture) Sofia Rekavicka-Patrick studied at the Carnegie Institution for Science, the University of Hawaii, and Northern Arizona University in order to search for and conduct unknown satellites of Neptune. Observations since 2021 using the Magellan Telescope and the Subaru Telescope, and involving an international research team made up of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA). On Friday, February 23, 2024, this research team announced the discovery of two moons of Neptune.
The results of this research are expected to provide important evidence in clarifying how Neptune's moons and the planets of the solar system formed and evolved over the past 4.6 billion years.

[النقاط الرئيسية في هذه القضية]●Two new satellites of Neptune have been discovered through joint research with the Carnegie Institution for Science, the University of Hawaii, Northern Arizona University, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
– He succeeded in discovering a very faint satellite by conducting long-term and special observations
●The results of this research will provide important evidence in clarifying the formation of planets in the solar system.

[خلفية هذه القضية]The four giant planets in the solar system, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, have satellites orbiting them. However, the moons of Uranus and Neptune are difficult to observe, they are far from Earth, and have only been surveyed by a spacecraft once in the past, so not all of their moons have been discovered. Relatively large satellites have previously been discovered in the long history of observation, but small satellites with a diameter of less than 100 kilometers are dark and difficult to see from the Earth, so they are difficult to see from the Earth, so observation is required. .
Neptune's moons so far have ranged from Triton (about 2,700 km in diameter), the largest, discovered in 1846, to Hippocamp (about 35 km in diameter), discovered in 2013. 14 moons have been found. These moons are divided into two groups: one is a satellite located near Neptune, including Triton, and the other is a satellite located quite far from Neptune. The group of distant moons has a long, slender inclined orbit, because they often appear in the shape of satellites. Irregular satellites, also called irregular satellites.

[محتويات هذه القضية]An international research team has been monitoring Neptune's satellites since 2021 using the Magellan telescope and the Subaru telescope, and on Friday, February 23, 2024, two new satellites of Neptune were monitored, and they announced their discovery as a satellite. With this discovery, Neptune now has 16 moons. The diameter of the two satellites is approximately 23 kilometers and 14 kilometers, and their orbital periods around Neptune are approximately 9 years and 27 years. They were initially named “S/2002 N5” and “S/2021 N1.” S/2021 N1 is an extremely dark satellite that was successfully discovered through special processing of the observed images. In particular, S/2021 N1 is the weakest satellite ever discovered by a ground-based telescope.
These two satellites are classified as irregular satellites because they are far away and have long orbits. This suggests that Neptune's large proto-moons were torn apart by collisions with comets and asteroids shortly after the birth of the solar system, and the fragments were captured by Neptune's gravity and became Maso's moons.
There are irregular moons with similar structures around Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus, and it is important to understand how gravity captures these distant moons, which is key to explaining the process of formation and evolution.

[تفاصيل البحث]“S/2002 N5” and “S/2021 N1” were first discovered in September 2021 by the Magellan Telescope of the Las Campanas Observatory (6.5 m aperture) and the National Astronomical Observatory's Subaru Telescope (8.2 m aperture). Satellite observations were made with the Subaru Telescope and the Magellan Telescope in October 2021, October-November 2022, and November 2023. The brightest moon, S/2002 N5, was confirmed to orbit Neptune. The orbit of the faint planet S/2021 N1 around Neptune was confirmed by subsequent observations using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (8.2 m aperture) and the Gemini Observatory telescope (8.1 m aperture).
These moons are so faint that detecting them requires dozens of five-minute exposures over three to four hours over several days. Through multiple exposures, stars and galaxies follow paths, objects moving like Neptune appear as point sources of light, and satellites emerge from the background noise. Using time-consuming observation techniques with one of the world's largest telescopes, we were able to create deeper images of Neptune's ocean than previous observations, and successfully discovered the satellite.
So far, Neptune's moons have been named after water gods and aquatic creatures that appear in Greek mythology. “S/2002 N5” and “S/2021 N1” will be named after Greek mythology, and they will also be named after the sea goddess Nereids. .

[تعليق الباحث]Sofia Rekavica Patrick
Affiliation: Canada University, Faculty of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Department of Social and Media Studies
Position: Associate Professor
Academic Degree: Doctor (Academic)
Comment: There are still many mysteries remaining in the solar system. Among these, the formation of giant planets such as Neptune and the birth of planetary satellite systems are fundamental to understanding the origin of the solar system and its evolutionary process. In particular, the recently discovered satellites of Uranus and Neptune are like time capsules. By studying the characteristics of satellites, it is hoped that we will be able to uncover the secrets of the birth and development of Uranus and Neptune. These studies will provide important clues to understanding the history of the solar system. Unraveling the secrets of the solar system will deepen our understanding of the universe, including the star we live in, and will also be useful for future space exploration.

【Related links】
Sophia Likawka-Patrick, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Department of Social Studies, Department of Sociology
https://www.kindai.ac.jp/meikan/275-sofia-lykawka-patryk.html

Faculty of Sociology
https://www.kindai.ac.jp/sociology/