Online Encyclopedia
Naiad (moon)
A moon of Neptune, Naiad ("NYE ad" [UK, US] or "NAY ad" [US]) is named after the Naiads of Greek legend.
Naiad was the last of the satellites discovered in 1989 by Voyager 2. It is irregularly shaped and shows no sign of any geological modification. Since its orbit is below Neptune's synchronous orbit radius it is slowly decaying due to tidal forces and will one day break up into a planetary ring or impact on Neptune's surface.
- Orbital radius: 48,227 km
- Mean diameter: 66 km
- Mass: 1.9×1017 kg
- Orbital period: 0.294 d (7 h 6 min)
- Orbital inclination: 4.746°
| Neptune |
|---|
| Naiad | Thalassa | Despina | Galatea | Larissa | Proteus | Triton |
| Nereid | S/2002 N 1's group | S/2002 N 2's group | S/2002 N 4's group |
| (For other moons, see: Neptune's natural satellites) |
Last updated: 11-10-2004 16:22:20