Nereid is the third-largest moon of Neptune and was discovered by Gerard Kuiper in 1949. It is named after the sea nymphs of Greek mythology who were the daughters of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. Nereid is a small, irregularly shaped moon that measures about 340 kilometers (210 miles) across its longest dimension. It has a highly eccentric orbit, which means it varies greatly in distance from Neptune, ranging from about 1.3 million km (800,000 miles) to 9.6 million km (6 million miles). Nereid's surface is heavily cratered, indicating a long history of impacts, but little else is known about its geology or composition. Its orbit is also unusual, as it is highly inclined to Neptune's equator and has a retrograde motion, meaning it orbits in the opposite direction to Neptune's rotation. Nereid's irregular shape and unusual orbit suggest that it may be a captured object, possibly a former Kuiper Belt object like Triton. Despite its proximity to Neptune, Nereid is a relatively poorly studied moon due to its small size and irregular orbit.
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