After six years of deliberation, scientists have named a tiny moon of the planet Neptune after a Greek mythological figure.
Scientists discovered the moon — now known as Hippocamp — using the Hubble space telescope in 2013 and debated over its origins thereafter.
The name Hippocamp refers to a Greek mythological monster with a horse’s body and fish’s tail.
According to International Astronomical Union regulations, moons of Neptune must be named after Greek and Roman mythology figures of the undersea world. Hippocamp’s discovery increases Neptune’s number of moons to 14.
Researchers believe that the Neptunian moon may have been created billions of years ago after a comet collided with the larger inner moon Proteus.
In most cases, the gravitational force from Proteus would have absorbed objects as small as Hippocamp. But scientists say the small moon remains in steady orbit.
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