The Solar System - Word Search - PUZZLE #28 TRITON - August 2025

PUZZLE #28 - TRITON 

IN-CONTEXT WORD DEFINITIONS

Retrograde: Triton has a retrograde orbit, meaning it orbits Neptune in the opposite direction to the planet’s rotation. This unusual orbit suggests Triton was captured by Neptune’s gravity rather than forming alongside it.

Captured: Triton is believed to be a captured object—originally an independent body in the Kuiper Belt that Neptune’s gravity pulled into orbit, rather than forming naturally as a moon around Neptune.

Kuiper Belt Object: Triton likely originated as a Kuiper Belt Object (KBO)—a small, icy body orbiting the Sun beyond Neptune. Its composition and orbit support this idea, making it one of the largest KBOs ever captured.

Nitrogen Ice: Triton’s surface is largely covered in nitrogen ice, which freezes at extremely low temperatures. This ice plays a key role in Triton’s surface features and seasonal cycles.

Geysers: Triton exhibits active geysers that erupt plumes of nitrogen gas and dust from beneath the surface. These geysers are driven by solar heating and possibly internal processes, making Triton one of the few geologically active moons in the outer solar system.

Coldest: Triton is one of the coldest bodies in the solar system, with surface temperatures around −235°C (−391°F). This extreme cold allows exotic ices like nitrogen and methane to remain solid on its surface.

Tidal Heating: Tidal heating occurs when gravitational forces from Neptune flex Triton’s interior, generating heat. This process likely contributes to Triton’s geological activity and may keep subsurface layers partially warm or liquid.

Cantaloupe: Triton’s cantaloupe terrain is a unique surface texture resembling the skin of a cantaloupe melon. It consists of ridges and troughs formed by geological processes, covering large regions of the moon.

Leviathan Patera: Leviathan Patera is a large volcanic depression (patera) on Triton’s surface, named after a mythical sea monster. It is thought to be a site of past or possibly ongoing cryovolcanic activity.

Secret Word: Triton has this thin atmospheric substance composed of complex hydrocarbons formed by the interaction of sunlight with surface ices. This creates layered, translucent clouds visible above the moon’s surface.