A simulated view of Despina orbiting Neptune

Despina (des-pee'-na or des-pye'-na; Latin Despœna from Greek Δεσποίνη) is the third known moon of Neptune. It is named after Despina, a nymph who was a daughter of Poseidon. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1152x845, 27 KB)A simulated view of Despina orbiting Neptune. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1152x845, 27 KB)A simulated view of Despina orbiting Neptune. ... A computer simulation or a computer model is a computer program which attempts to simulate an abstract model of a particular system. ... Atmospheric characteristics Surface pressure ≫100 MPa Hydrogen - H2 80% ±3. ... Moons of solar system scaled to Earths Moon The common noun moon (not capitalized) is used to mean any natural satellite of the other planets. ... Atmospheric characteristics Surface pressure ≫100 MPa Hydrogen - H2 80% ±3. ... In Greek mythology, Despina (Δεσποινα, mistress or queen) was a nymph, the daughter of Poseidon and Demeter (e. ... Hylas and the Nymphs by John William Waterhouse In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of female nature spirits, sometimes bound to a particular location or landform. ... Andrea Doria as Neptune by Agnolo Bronzino: a potent allegory of Genoas hegemony in the Tyrrhenian Sea In Greek Mythology, Poseidon (Ποσειδῶν) was the god of the sea, known to the Romans as Neptune, and to the Etruscans as Nethuns. ...

Despina was discovered in late July, 1989 from the images taken by the Voyager 2 probe. It was given the temporary designation S/1989 N 3. It is also designated Neptune V. July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Voyager 2 spacecraft was launched in 1977, originally planned as Mariner 12 of the Mariner program. ... Unmanned space missions are those using remote-controlled spacecraft. ...

The discovery was announced (IAUC 4824) on August 2, 1989, but the text only talks of « 10 frames taken over 5 days », giving a discovery date of sometime before July 28. August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 28 is the 209th day (210th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 156 days remaining. ...

Despina is irregularly shaped and shows no sign of any geological modification. Since its orbit is below Neptune's synchronous orbit radius it is slowly decaying due to tidal forces and will one day break up into a planetary ring or impact on Neptune's surface. A synchronous orbit is an orbit in which an orbiting body (usually a satellite) has a period equal to the average rotational period of the body being orbited (usually a planet), and in the same direction of rotation as that body. ... The tidal force is a secondary effect of the force of gravity and is responsible for the tides. ... A planetary ring is a ring of dust and other small particles orbiting around a planet in a flat disc-shaped region. ...

• Orbital radius: 52,526 km
• Diameter: 180×148×128 km
• Mass: 2.1×10¹⁸ kg
• Estimated density: 1.2 g/cm³
• Orbital period: 0.335 d
• Orbital inclination: 0.080° (to Neptune's equator), 0.064° (to the local Laplace plane), 28.56° (to the ecliptic)

The Laplace plane is defined as the mean plane occupied by the orbit of a satellite during a precession cycle. ... The plane of the Ecliptic is well seen in this picture from the 1994 lunar prospecting Clementine spacecraft. ...