The Solar System - Word Search - PUZZLE #31 LARISSA - August 2025

PUZZLE #31 - LARISSA 

IN-CONTEXT WORD DEFINITIONS

Larissa: Larissa is a small, irregularly shaped moon orbiting Neptune. It was discovered in 1981 during ground-based stellar occultation observations and later confirmed by Voyager 2.

Neptune: Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun, and Larissa is one of its many natural satellites. Larissa orbits relatively close to Neptune among its inner moons.

Satellite: Larissa is a natural satellite of Neptune, meaning it is a moon that orbits the planet rather than a man-made spacecraft.

Synchronous: Larissa is synchronously locked to Neptune, which means it rotates on its axis in the same amount of time it takes to orbit Neptune, always showing the same face to the planet.

Deceleration: Deceleration in this context refers to the gradual slowing of Larissa’s orbital speed due to tidal interactions with Neptune, which can affect its orbit and rotation over long periods.

Roche Limit: The Roche limit is the minimum distance a celestial body like Larissa can orbit Neptune without being torn apart by tidal forces. Larissa orbits outside Neptune’s Roche limit, so it remains intact.

Occultation: Larissa was first detected by observing its occultation, when it passed in front of a distant star, briefly blocking the star’s light and revealing the moon’s presence.

Larissean: the adjectival form used to describe anything related to Larissa, one of Neptune’s inner moons.

Grey: Larissa’s surface color appears grey, typical for many outer solar system moons, indicating a surface made of dark, space-weathered ice and rock.

Secret Word: Larissa is believed to be a rubble-pile moon, meaning it is likely composed of loosely held together fragments of ice and rock rather than a single solid body, possibly formed from debris.