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 10

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 Neptune's Le Verrier ring
linked to: Adams 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 Neptunian system
linked to: Neptune 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 (10)

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
Neptune system hasMoon Despina
Neptune V alsoKnownAs Despina
Neptune V (Despina) IAUName Despina