Larissa Facts for Kids

A Picture of Neptune's Moon Larissa
  • Moon Name: Larissa
  • Designation: Neptune VII
  • Date Discovered: May 24th, 1981
  • Discovered by: H. Reitsema, W. Hubbard, L. Lebofsky and D. Tholen
  • Average Orbit of Neptune: 45,700.60 mi
  • Total Volume: 1,476,067 mi3
  • Surface Area: 28,366.56 mi2

14 Larissa Facts for Kids

  1. Larissa is one of Neptune’s 14 known moons (natural satellites).
  2. Larissa is named after one of Poseidon’s lovers, who himself was a god in Greek mythology.
  3. Larissa is also designated as Neptune VII.
  4. Larissa was discovered on May 24th, 1983 by H. Reitsema, W. Hubbard, L. Lebofsky and D. Tholen.
  5. Larissa was discovered on accident and based on luck from ground-based stellar occultation observations. A flyby from Voyager 2 in 1989 confirmed that Larissa was a moon.
  6. The average orbit distance for Larissa is 45,700.60 mi.
  7. The surface area of Larissa is 45,651.55 mi2.
  8. The total volume of Larissa is 917,185.51 mi3.
  9. Larissa orbits the planet Neptune every 13 hours and 12 minutes.
  10. Larissa is the fourth largest moon of Neptune, based on diameter.
  11. Larissa is the fifth closest moon to Neptune.
  12. The Voyager 2 spacecraft is the only probe to visit and photograph Larissa.
  13. Larissa is believed to have been created by debris from impact events on other moons of Neptune.
  14. The fate of Larissa is either an impact with Neptune’s atmosphere or it will break apart into a planetary ring.

Additional Resources on Neptune’s moon Larissa

  • Learn About Larissa – Read more about Neptune’s moon Larissa on the ASA Solar System Exploration website.
  • Larissa Data and Stats – Find the latest data and statistics of the moon Larissa on the NASA Solar System Exploration website.
  • The Moons of Neptune – Discover more moons of the planet Neptune on the Britannica website.
  • Larissa (Moon) – Wikipedia – Learn more about Larissa, one of Neptunes’s moons, on the Wikipedia website.

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