We have discovered a new moon of Neptune - Gazeta Wyborcza

actually found him Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. Looking through old photographs taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and July 1 saw the white dot on them that every time she was in a different place.

We followed it with a computer program like a sports photographer speeding runner – says the scientist. – I received a similar picture: a fairly sharp object out of focus background.

Hubble made his 2004-09 over 150 photos. In light of Neptune b??kitnozielonego but no one saw the dots away from the planet by more than 100 thousand. miles and circling it every 23 hours.

The newly discovered moon is also the smallest of the 14 natural satellites, the last planet of the solar system. Scientists estimate that the diameter is not more than about 20 km. There are so tiny that shines 100 million times weaker than the most faded star visible from Earth with the naked eye.

Perhaps it’s because even NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft, which flew in 1989 near Neptune and examined its natural satellites and rings, not noticed midget.

The new moon of Neptune got a working name for now – S/2004 N 1

This is a total of funny that saw him working for SETI scientist . The Institute is committed to the task yet to find a space alien civilization. By the way, however, also leads a more conservative research.

Pictured: The newly discovered moon of Neptune, with other natural satellites of the planet, as well as the surrounding rings. The black-and-white photo adorned with color photograph of Neptune, the last planet of the solar system, which is nearly five billion miles from Earth.