Triton likely formed in the outer solar system before Neptune captured it, largely destroying the planet’s original moon system. JWST observations published in July 2026 suggest today’s inner moons reassembled from the wreckage — although Nereid may be one original survivor.
Neptune has 16 known moons, but hardly any conventional lunar system. Triton alone contains more than 99 percent of the satellite system’s mass, traveling backwards around the planet and leaving only a compact collection of small inner moons, faint rings and distant, irregular companions. That peculiar architecture has long signaled an ancient catastrophe. Triton probably … Read more
