Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2026 June 23 Your browser does not support the video tag. Flying Past Neptune's Moon Triton Image Credit: [2]NASA; [3]JPL, [4]Voyager 2, Digital composition: [5]Paul Schenk ([6]LPI, [7]USRA) Explanation: What would it look like to fly past [8]Triton, the largest moon of planet [9]Neptune? Only one spacecraft has ever done this -- and the images of this dramatic encounter have been [10]gathered into a [11]video. In 1989, the [12]Voyager 2 robotic spacecraft shot through the Neptune system with [13]cameras blazing. [14]Triton is slightly smaller than [15]Earth's Moon but has [16]ice volcanoes and a surface rich in [17]frozen nitrogen. The first sequence in [18]the video shows Voyager's approach to [19]Triton, which, with the exception of an overall [20]false green tint, appears in approximately true color. The mysterious [21]cantaloupe terrain seen under the spacecraft soon changed from light to dark, with the [22]terminator of night crossing [23]underneath. After closest approach, [24]Voyager pivoted to see the departing moon, now visible as a diminishing [25]crescent. In 2015, the robotic [26]New Horizons spacecraft famously [27]flew past [28]Pluto, an orb of similar size to Triton. Almost Hyperspace: [29]Random APOD Generator Tomorrow's picture: open space __________________________________________________________________ [30]< | [31]Archive | [32]Submissions | [33]Index | [34]Search | [35]Calendar | [36]RSS | [37]Education | [38]About APOD | [39]Discuss | [40]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [41]Robert Nemiroff ([42]MTU) & [43]Jerry Bonnell ([44]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [45]Specific rights apply. [46]NASA Web Privacy, [47]Accessibility, [48]Notices; A service of: [49]ASD at [50]NASA / [51]GSFC, [52]NASA Science Activation & [53]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://www.nasa.gov/ 3. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ 4. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/ 5. https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lpi/schenk/ 6. https://www.lpi.usra.edu/ 7. https://www.usra.edu/ 8. https://science.nasa.gov/neptune/moons/triton/ 9. https://science.nasa.gov/neptune/ 10. https://www.lpi.usra.edu/icy_moons/neptune/triton/press_release/ 11. https://www.lpi.usra.edu/icy_moons/neptune/triton/movie/index.shtml 12. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/voyager-2/ 13. https://www.lpi.usra.edu/icy_moons/neptune/triton/ 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070304.html 15. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5587/ 16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triton_(moon)#Cryovolcanism 17. https://youtu.be/rM04U5BO3Ug 18. https://www.lpi.usra.edu/icy_moons/neptune/triton/movie/index.shtml 19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triton_(moon) 20. https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasacommons/9467442336/ 21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triton_(moon)#Cantaloupe_terrain 22. https://www.universetoday.com/articles/terminator 23. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/british-shorthair-cat-hiding-under-260nw-1655111092.jpg 24. https://stereomoons.blogspot.com/2014/08/triton-at-25.html 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241109.html 26. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/new-horizons/ 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250518.html 28. https://science.nasa.gov/dwarf-planets/pluto/ 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/random_apod.html 30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260622.html 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 34. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 36. https://apod.com/feed.rss 37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 38. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 39. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260623 40. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260624.html 41. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/ 42. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/ 43. https://inspirehep.net/authors/1073087 44. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 45. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 46. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 47. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 48. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 49. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/astrophysics/ 50. https://www.nasa.gov/ 51. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 52. https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/ 53. http://www.mtu.edu/