Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Springer Nature - PMC COVID-19 Collection logoLink to Springer Nature - PMC COVID-19 Collection
. 1984;311(5984):355–358. doi: 10.1038/311355a0

On the origin of Triton and Pluto

William B McKinnon 1
PMCID: PMC7095097

Abstract

Lyttleton hypothesized long ago that Triton and Pluto originated as adjacent prograde satellites of Neptune1. With the presently accepted masses of Triton and Pluto–Charon2,3, however, the momentum and energy exchange that would be required to set Triton on a retrograde trajectory is impossible. The mass of Triton has probably been seriously overestimated4,5, but not by enough to relax this restriction. It is implausible that the present angular momentum state of Pluto–Charon has been significantly influenced by Neptune6. It could not acquire such angular momentum during an ejection event unless a physical collision was involved, which is quite unlikely. The simplest hypothesis is that Triton and Pluto are independent representatives of large outer Solar System planetesimals. Triton is simply captured, with potentially spectacular consequences that include runaway melting of interior ices and release to the surface of clathrated CH4, CO and N2 (ref. 7). Condensed remnants of this proto-atmosphere could account for features in Triton's unique spectrum8–11.

References

  • 1.Lyttleton RA. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 1936;97:108–115. doi: 10.1093/mnras/97.2.108. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Alden HL. Astr. J. 1943;50:110–111. doi: 10.1086/105738. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Harrington RS, Christy JW. Astr. J. 1981;86:442–443. doi: 10.1086/112903. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 4.Cruikshank DP, Stockton A, Dyck HM, Becklin EE, Macy W., Jr Icarus. 1979;40:104–114. doi: 10.1016/0019-1035(79)90057-5. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 5.McKinnon WB. Bull. Am. astr. Soc. 1982;14:765. [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Lin DNC. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 1981;197:1081–1085. doi: 10.1093/mnras/197.4.1081. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 7.McKinnon WB. Bull. Am. astr. Soc. 1983;15:857. [Google Scholar]
  • 8.Cruikshank DP, Silvaggio PM. Astrophys. J. 1979;223:1016–1020. doi: 10.1086/157465. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Rieke GH, Lebofsky LA, Lebofsky MJ, Montgomery EF. Nature. 1981;294:59–60. doi: 10.1038/294059a0. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Apt J, Carleton NP, Mackay CD. Astrophys. J. 1983;270:342–350. doi: 10.1086/161127. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 11.Cruikshank, D. P., Brown, R. H. & Clark, R. N. Abstr. Natural Satellites, IAU Colloq. No. 77, 40 (1983).
  • 12.Goldreich P, Soter S. Icarus. 1966;5:375–389. doi: 10.1016/0019-1035(66)90051-0. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 13.Munk WH, MacDonald GJF. The Rotation of the Earth. 1975. [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Reitsma HJ, Hubbard WB, Lebofsky LA, Tholen DJ. Science. 1982;215:289–291. doi: 10.1126/science.215.4530.289. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 15.Veillet, Ch., thesis, Univ. Paris (1983).
  • 16.Tisserand F. Traité de Mécanique Céleste. 1896. [Google Scholar]
  • 17.Harris AW. Abstr. Natural Satellites, IAU Colloq. 1983;77:41. [Google Scholar]
  • 18.Morrison D, Cruikshank DP, Brown RH. Nature. 1982;300:425–427. doi: 10.1038/300425a0. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 19.Lebofsky LA, Rieke GH, Lebofsky MJ. Bull. Am. astr. Soc. 1982;14:766. [Google Scholar]
  • 20.Lupo MJ, Lewis JS. Icarus. 1979;40:157–170. doi: 10.1016/0019-1035(79)90061-7. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 21.Weidenschilling SJ. Icarus. 1981;64:124–126. doi: 10.1016/0019-1035(81)90082-8. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 22.Chandrasekhar S. Ellipsoidal Figures of Equilibrium. 1969. [Google Scholar]
  • 23.Aggarwal HR, Oberbeck VR. Astrophys. J. 1974;191:577–588. doi: 10.1086/152998. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 24.Harrington RS, Van Flandern TC. Icarus. 1979;39:131–136. doi: 10.1016/0019-1035(79)90106-4. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 25.Farinella P, Milani A, Nobili AM, Valsecchi GB. Moon Planets. 1979;20:415–421. doi: 10.1007/BF00897349. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 26.Nacozy PE, Diehl RE. Astr. J. 1978;83:522–530. doi: 10.1086/112231. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 27.Harris AW, Ward WR. A. Rev. Earth planet. Sci. 1982;10:61–108. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ea.10.050182.000425. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 28.Weidenschilling SJ. Icarus. 1980;44:807–809. doi: 10.1016/0019-1035(80)90147-5. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 29.Farinella P, Paolicchi P, Zappala V. Astr. Astrophys. 1981;104:159–165. [Google Scholar]
  • 30.Harris AW. Bull. Am. astr. Soc. 1983;15:828. [Google Scholar]
  • 31.Huang T-Y, Innanen KA. Astr. J. 1983;88:1537–1547. doi: 10.1086/113444. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 32.Pollack JB, Burns JA, Tauber ME. Icarus. 1979;37:587. doi: 10.1016/0019-1035(79)90016-2. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 33.Nakazawa K, Komuro T, Hayashi C. Moon Planets. 1983;28:311–327. doi: 10.1007/BF00931671. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 34.Lewis JS, Prinn RG. Astrophys. J. 1980;238:357–364. doi: 10.1086/157992. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 35.Prinn RG, Fegley B. Astrophys. J. 1981;249:308–317. doi: 10.1086/159289. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 36.Abstr. Natural Satellites, IAU Colloq.77, 43 (1983).
  • 37.Freeman KC, Lyngå G. Astrophys. J. 1970;160:767–780. doi: 10.1086/150468. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 38.Hubbard, W. B. et al.Astr. J. (submitted).
  • 39.Elliot JL, Dunham E, Mink DJ, Churms J. Astrophys. J. 1980;236:1026–1030. doi: 10.1086/157829. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 40.Elliot JL. Astr. J. 1981;86:444–455. doi: 10.1086/112904. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 41.Hege EK. Icarus. 1982;50:72–81. doi: 10.1016/0019-1035(82)90099-9. [DOI] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Nature are provided here courtesy of Nature Publishing Group

RESOURCES