Quick facts
Parent planet
Diameter (mean)
150 km
Mass
2.27 × 10¹⁸ kg
3.09e-05 Moon masses
Mean orbital radius
52,526 km
Orbital period
0.335 Earth days
Discovery year
1989
Discoverer
Voyager 2 imaging team
Naming origin
Daughter of Poseidon
Surface conditions
Despina orbits between Neptune's Le Verrier and Lassell rings. Like the other inner Neptunian moons, it is dark and irregularly shaped.
Missions and observations
Every Neptune-system mission has had an opportunity to image or characterize Despina. The list below is the Neptune-system mission catalog; specific Despina encounters are documented in mission archives.
| Mission | Year at Neptune | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
Voyager 2 NASA |
1989 | Completed |
Naming etymology
Despina was a daughter of Poseidon and Demeter in Greek mythology. Adopted by the IAU in 1991.
Methodology & sources
Diameter, mass, and orbital parameters from JPL Solar System Dynamics — Physical Parameters. Discovery year and discoverer from the JPL Satellite Discovery Circumstances. Naming etymology from the IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature. Stylized SVG hero composed from NASA / JPL imagery as visual reference; no photographs are reproduced.