As magnetic fields can be friends and foes to life, how could that affect life on Triton? Also, understanding the weird field of Neptune could also inform us about planetary magnetic fields in general, their interaction with solar wind and cosmic rays, and in extension our own magnetic field and our protection from those factors here on Earth.” The magnetic field of Neptune for example, is weird but we don’t know why. “If it could host life, understanding Neptune would again be important. This could make it a great location to search for life outside the Earth,” she says. “Triton - one of the moons of Neptune - is an intriguing, active body that could host an ocean. UCF Planetary Scientist Theodora Karalidi. She’s eager to see what Neptune and Triton can tell us about life formation. Karalidi specializes in atmospheres of other planets. By learning what the key features of different types of clouds, chemistry or atmospheric circulation patterns are in our observations from a distance, and how they compare with observations from up-close, we can make more informed decisions on which planets to stare at for longer periods to see if they have life, even when we have a single pixel to work with.” The more we learn about atmospheres in our solar system, from the Earth to Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune, the more we can understand atmospheres and differentiate between a planet that can support life from one that cannot.
“If finding life outside our planet is of interest, then exploring Neptune should be of interest. “Neptune … in a way, it is the closest thing we have to a brown dwarf in the solar system,” Karalidi says. The planet has also been studied from afar using the Keck, Hubble, and Spitzer telescopes, but it and its moon Triton still hold many secrets, says Assistant Professor of Physics Theodora Karalidi. It was a quick run and produced some stunning, but puzzling photos that left more questions than it answered. There’s only been one flyby of the planet, completed by NASA’s Voyager 2 in 1989. It would take about nine years to send a spacecraft to the planet with current technology. Gravity is expected to be very close to what we experience on Earth because while Neptune has 17 times more mass than Earth, it is also four times larger than our planet. Data from observations lead scientists to believe that Neptune is made up of gases and ice with a rocky core. It is the narrowest of the gas giants and the furthest major planet out from the sun since Pluto was reclassified to a dwarf planet. There are several mission concepts out there and there’s a highly motivated group of astronomers pushing them, but there are no approved missions – yet.” Joe Harringtonĭespite the passage of time, the blue planet continues to captivate planetary scientists worldwide.
“I did a Neptune project all the way back in my undergraduate days,” says Pegasus Professor of Physics Joseph Harrington, who specializes in exoplanets. It was an early look at the planet, which today celebrates its 175 th birthday. Students and community members got a nice view of the planet Neptune and its biggest moon Triton during one of September’s Knights Under the Stars events hosted at UCF’s Robinson Observatory.
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