This is an image of Proteus, a moon of Neptune.
Click on image for full size
NASA
Evolution of Small Moons
The small moons are too small to be seen, so not much is known about their surface features or composition. With no knowledge of the composition, and no clues from the surface, little can be determined about the course of their evolution. Nevertheless, from the location of some of the moons, as well as their shape, it can be determined that some moons are fragments of a larger moon, or are captured asteroids. Examples of moons such as these are
Epimetheus,
Janus, and
Hyperion.
It is thought that most small moons are icy, however. Therefore their evolution would follow a similar course to that of other icy moons.
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