Hippocamp

Hippocamp was discovered in 2013 through observations made with the Hubble Space Telescope, with its official announcement occurring in February 2019. Named after the sea creature Hippocampus from Greek mythology, this small moon orbits Neptune at a relatively close distance, approximately 105,300 kilometers from the planet's center, with an orbital period of about 23 hours and 8 minutes. Measuring around 34 kilometers in diameter, Hippocamp boasts an irregular shape typical of many outer solar system moons. It resides within the Adams Ring, one of Neptune's outermost rings, and is believed to have originated from the disruption of a larger moon or a captured Kuiper Belt object. While it has not been the primary target of space missions, Hippocamp's discovery has heightened scientific interest in understanding Neptune's intricate moon system and the processes of moon formation in the outer solar system.