James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Neptune's Inner Moons as Wreckage of Ancient Catastrophe

Observations from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have provided surprising clues that Neptune's tiny inner moons—Larissa, Galatea, and Proteus—along with its rings, may be the remnants of an ancient cosmic catastrophe. Researchers detected clay-like minerals on these bodies, which typically form in the presence of liquid water, despite the moons showing no obvious water ice. This suggests the material originated from much larger icy moons that were shattered when Triton, Neptune's largest moon, was likely captured by the planet's gravity, destroying much of the original satellite system.