Neptune’s Tiny Moons Could Be The Remains Of Worlds Destroyed Billions Of Years Ago

New Webb observations suggest Neptune’s smallest moons may preserve the remains of an ancient satellite system destroyed in a violent cosmic event billions of years ago. The discovery suggests that the tiny moons orbiting near Neptune’s rings preserve chemical evidence from ancient icy worlds that no longer exist. Webb Finds Evidence Of Neptune’s Lost Moon SystemResearchers from Caltech used observations from the James Webb Space Telescope to study three of Neptune’s inner moons: Larissa, Galatea, and Proteus. The unusual chemistry suggests that Neptune’s inner moons contain fragments from deeper layers of ancient icy bodies rather than simple surface material. Either scenario would explain why Neptune’s inner moons contain materials that appear to come from much larger worlds.