Universe & space

Discovery of Neso

14 August 2002

Neso is a small irregular moon of Neptune, notable for having one of the largest orbits of any moon in the Solar System, which takes decades to complete. It follows a retrograde and very elongated path, taking it very far from the planet. It was found by a team of astronomers using large ground-based telescopes in Hawaii and Chile. It is believed to have been captured, and may share a common origin with Psamathe, another distant moon. In keeping with the convention for Neptune's moons, it is named after a sea nymph, one of the Nereids, in Greek mythology.

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