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Why is sunlight thought to help drive Triton’s active plumes?
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Triton
Image of Triton, Neptune's largest satellite, captured by a camera aboard Voyager 2, 1989.
The active, geyserlike plumes observed on Triton are thought to be driven by sunlight because they show a distinct preference for latitudes that are illuminated vertically by the Sun.1
While the precise energy sources and mechanisms behind these eruptions are not yet fully understood, this correlation with solar illumination has led scientists to conclude that incident sunlight is an important factor in their activity. During these events, nitrogen gas escapes through vents in the moon's surface ice, carrying entrained dust particles to heights of approximately 8 km (5 miles).1