| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 1,776,490,293 visitors served. |
|
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
triton |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.03 sec. |
Triton, in astronomyTriton (trīt`ən), in astronomy, innermost and largest of the eight known moons, or natural satellites, of Neptune Neptune, in astronomy, 8th planet from the sun at a mean distance of about 2.8 billion mi (4.5 billion km) with an orbit lying between those of Uranus and the dwarf planet Pluto; its period of revolution is about 165 years...... Click the link for more information. . Triton, in Greek mythologyTriton, in Greek mythology, son of Poseidon. He was a creature of the sea, the upper half of his body being human, the lower fishlike. Later legends speak of many Tritons, sometimes described as riding over the sea on horses. Tritons characteristically blew trumpets of conch shells.TritonIn Greek mythology, a merman and a demigod of the sea. He was the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite. According to Hesiod, Triton lived in a golden palace in the depths of the sea. He was represented as human down to the waist, which tapered into a fish tail, and he had a spiral conch shell that he blew to calm or raise the waves. Some traditions held that there were many Tritons. TritonLargest of Neptune's moons. Its diameter is about 1,680 mi (2,700 km), nearly 80% that of Earth's Moon. Unique among the large moons of the solar system, Triton moves in a retrograde orbit, opposite the direction of Neptune's rotation. Its orbital period of 5.9 Earth days is the same as its rotation period; as a result it always keeps the same face toward Neptune. It has a very thin atmosphere of nitrogen and methane and a surface temperature of −390 °F (−235 °C). Its surface is covered with enormous expanses of ice sculpted with fissures, puckers, and ridge-crossed depressions. Geyser-like plumes observed by the Voyager 2 spacecraft may be gas venting through fissures when the surface is warmed by sunlight. Triton appears to have formed elsewhere in the solar system and to have been gravitationally captured by Neptune in the planet's early history. TRITONThe name of earlier versions of Baan software, before the release of BAAN IV. See BAAN IV. triton [′trī‚tän] (nuclear physics) The nucleus of tritium. Triton [′trīt·ən] (astronomy) The largest satellite of Neptune, with a diameter of about 1681 miles (2705 kilometers), orbiting at a mean distance of 220,500 miles (354,800 kilometers) with a period of 5 days 21.0 hours. Triton The nucleus of 21H (tritium); it is the only known radioactive nuclide belonging to hydrogen. The triton is produced in nuclear reactors by neutron absorption in deuterium (21H + 10n → + + γ), and decays by β- emission to 32H with a half-life of 12.4 years. Much of the interest in producing 31H arises from the fact that the fusion reaction 31H + 11H → 42H releases about 20 MeV of energy. Tritons are also used as projectiles in nuclear bombardment experiments. See Nuclear reaction Triton gigantic sea deity; son and messenger of Poseidon. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 277; Rom. Lit.: Aeneid] See : Sea
How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| ? Mentioned in |
|---|
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Free toolbar & extensions |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|---|