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Despina


Despina
Voyager 2 image of Despina, smeared horizontally
The third moon of Neptune in order from the planet. Despina was discovered by the Voyager Imaging Team in July 1989. It is named after one of the daughters of Poseidon and is also known as Neptune IV. Despina is irregular in shape, and orbits just 27,700 kilometers (17,200 miles) above the cloudtops of its primary. Like the five other inner moons discovered during Voyager 2's 1989 flyby of Neptune, Despina is among the darkest objects known.


discovery 1989, by Voyager 2
semimajor axis 52,526 km (32,645 miles)
diameter 180×150×130 km
(112×93×81 miles)
orbital period 0.335 day (8 hr 2 min.)
orbital eccentricity 0.0002
orbital inclination 0.22°
visual albedo 0.06


Related entry

   • Neptune, moons


Related category

   • PLANETS AND MOONS


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