Composition
Nitrogen is the main gas in Triton's atmosphere. The two other known components are methane and carbon monoxide, which abundances are a few hundredths of a percent of that of the nitrogen. Carbon monoxide, which was discovered only in 2010 by the ground based observations, is slightly more abundant than methane. The abundance of methane relative to nitrogen increased by four to five times since 1986 due to the global warming observed on Triton, which passed its solstice in 2001.
Other possible components of the Triton's atmosphere include argon and neon. Since they were not detected in the ultraviolet spectra of Triton obtained by Voyager 2 in 1989, their abundances are unlikely to exceed a few percent. In addition to the gases mentioned above, the upper atmosphere contains significant amounts of both molecular and atomic hydrogen, which is produced by the photolysis of methane. This hydrogen quickly escapes into the space serving as a source of plasma in the magnetosphere of Neptune.
Other Solar System planets and moons with similarly composed atmospheres include the Earth, Titan, Pluto and, possibly, Eris.
Read more about this topic: Atmosphere Of Triton
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