JWST Observations Suggest Neptune's Inner Moons are Shattered Remnants

James Webb Space Telescope observations detected unexpected clay-like minerals on Neptune's inner moons Larissa, Galatea, and its rings. This discovery suggests these satellites are not primordial but remnants of larger icy moons shattered during a catastrophic event, possibly Triton's capture. The presence of phyllosilicates, formed with liquid water, challenges prior assumptions about Neptune's satellite system formation.