Proteus

Also known as Neptune VIII, S/1989 N 1

moon of Neptune

AI overview

Proteus is a moon of Neptune, the eighth planet from the Sun. It is notable as one of the largest moons in the solar system and was discovered relatively recently in 1989 by the Voyager 2 spacecraft.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Radius: 210
Mass: 50
Orbital period: 1.122314
Image: Proteus (Voyager 2).jpg
Perimeter: 424

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Commons category: Proteus (moon)
provisional designation: S/1989 N 1
time of discovery or invention: 1989-06-16
Commons gallery: Proteus (moon)
albedo: 0.096
apparent magnitude: 19.7
orbital eccentricity: 0.00053
semi-major axis of an orbit: 117647
orbital inclination: 0.026
volume as quantity: 34000000
temperature: 51

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Article

Proteus (/ˈproʊtiəs/ PROH-tee-əs), also known as Neptune VIII, is the second-largest Neptunian moon, and Neptune's largest inner satellite. Discovered by Voyager 2 in 1989, it is named after Proteus, the shape-changing sea god of Greek mythology. Proteus orbits Neptune in a nearly equatorial orbit at a distance of about 4.75 times the radius of Neptune's equator.

Despite being a predominantly icy body more than 400 km (250 mi) in diameter, Proteus's shape deviates significantly from an ellipsoid. It is shaped more like an irregular polyhedron with several slightly concave facets and relief as high as 20 km (12 mi). Its surface is dark, neutral in color, and heavily cratered. Proteus's largest crater is Pharos, which is more than 230 km (140 mi) in diameter. There are also a number of scarps, grooves, and valleys related to large craters.