Discovery of Galatea

Galatea is one of the inner moons of Neptune, discovered in images taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft as it approached the planet in 1989. It is small and irregular and orbits just outside Neptune's Adams ring, which has bright arcs of dust that scientists believe are held in place by Galatea's gravity. It was named for a sea nymph of Greek mythology. Like other moons in the system, it was seen only briefly by Voyager 2, and no spacecraft has returned to Neptune since, so little is known about its surface.

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