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What materials cover Triton’s visible surface?
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Triton
Image of Triton, Neptune's largest satellite, captured by a camera aboard Voyager 2, 1989.
Triton’s visible surface is primarily covered by methane and nitrogen ices. Spectroscopic studies have also identified trace amounts of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide ices on the surface.1
While these volatile ices form a thin veneer, scientists believe that the underlying material of the moon's surface structures is water ice. Although water ice is not directly visible in spectral data—likely because it is masked by the surface layer of nitrogen or methane—it is considered much more rocklike and structurally stable at the moon's extremely low temperatures, allowing for the formation of large features like terrace cliffs.1