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Story summary
- Matthew Belyakov’s team concluded that Neptune’s moon Nereid is an original satellite, not a captured Kuiper Belt object.
- JWST data, gathered in just over ten minutes, showed Nereid is richer in water ice and brighter than typical Kuiper Belt objects.
- Simulations indicated Triton’s capture displaced Nereid into its current highly eccentric orbit.
- The findings were published on May 20 in Science Advances, noting JWST’s limited operational lifetime.
