Discovery: Galatea was discovered by the Voyager 2 spacecraft during its flyby of Neptune in 1989. Its discovery was confirmed in subsequent observations.

Name and Origin: The moon is named after Galatea, a sea nymph in Greek mythology who was a lover of the Cyclops Polyphemus.

Physical Characteristics: Galatea has an estimated diameter of about 158 kilometers (98 miles). It has an irregular shape and is not perfectly spherical. The moon has a relatively smooth surface with few visible craters. Its surface is thought to be composed of water ice.

Orbit: Galatea orbits Neptune at an average distance of about 62,000 kilometers (38,525 miles) from the planet's center. It follows a prograde orbit, meaning it orbits in the same direction as Neptune's rotation.

Ring Interaction: Galatea is part of the Adams ring, which is a faint and narrow ring system located inside Neptune's main ring system. The gravitational interaction between Galatea and the ring particles causes disturbances, creating waves and clumps in the ring structure.

No dedicated missions have been planned or conducted specifically to study Galatea. The Voyager 2 spacecraft provided valuable data during its flyby of Neptune, including images and measurements of Galatea.