Despina

E136487

Despina is a small inner moon of Neptune known for its irregular shape and close, rapid orbit around the planet.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Despina canonical 4

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf astronomical object
moon of Neptune
natural satellite
actsAs shepherd moon candidate
albedo low
alternativeName Neptune V
averageOrbitalDistanceFromNeptune_km about 52525
belongsTo Neptune's inner satellite group (Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Galatea, Larissa, Proteus)
Neptune's regular inner satellites
Solar System
catalogCode Neptune V (Despina)
celestialBodyType inner moon
composition water ice and rock (inferred)
discoveredBy Stephen P. Synnott
Voyager 2
discoveredUsing Voyager 2 imaging data
discoveryDate 1989-07-02
discoveryMethod spacecraft imaging
distanceFromSun_AU about 30
equatorialSurfaceGravity_m_per_s2 very low
escapeVelocity_m_per_s about 70
hasNo substantial atmosphere
IAUDesignation Neptune V
liesInside Adams ring
surface form: Neptune's Le Verrier ring
locatedIn Neptune ring system region
meanDensity_g_per_cm3 about 1.2
meanDiameter_km approximately 150
meanRadius_km approximately 75
nameApprovedDate 1991
namedAfter Despina (nymph in Greek mythology)
namedBy International Astronomical Union
orbitalDirection prograde
orbitalEccentricity very low
orbitalInclination_degrees close to 0
orbitalPeriod_hours about 8.1
orbitalSemimajorAxis_km about 52525
orbitalStability affected by tidal interactions with Neptune
orbits Neptune
Neptune's equatorial plane
planetarySystem Neptune system
surface form: Neptunian system
relativePositionAmongNeptuneMoons one of the closest moons to Neptune
rotationPeriod_hours about 8.1
shape irregular
surfaceColor dark
surfaceFeatures heavily cratered (inferred from low resolution images)
synchronousRotation true
tidallyLockedTo Neptune

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Neptune moon Despina
Olivera Despina familyName Despina
Galatea neighboringMoons Despina
Thalassa neighboringMoon Despina