Webb Telescope Finds Triton Shattered Neptune's Original Moon System

Webb near-infrared observations of seven Neptune moons, led by Caltech and reported August 2026, indicate Triton's capture into retrograde orbit destabilized Neptune's pre-existing satellites, driving mutual collisions. Debris from those impacts then reaccreted into the small inner moons visible today. The findings remain inferential, based on spectral and photometric data rather than direct impact observation.