Uranus
Position: Seventh from Sun
Distance from Sun: 2,870,990,000 km
Uranus Day: .72 Earth Days
Uranus Year: 84.01 Earth Years
Orbital Speed: 6.6 km/sec
Eccentricity of Orbit: 0.047
Satellites: 15 (plus rings)
Diameter: 51,800 km
Mass: 8.686e25 kg
Major Atmospheric Gas: Hydrogen
  • Uranus is the third largest planet in the Solar System.
  • The atmosphere of Uranus is composed of hydrogen, helium, and methane. The methane in the atmosphere absorbs red light, giving the planet a blue-green color.
  • Uranus is considered unusual because the planet is tipped on its side. The poles actually point towards the Sun. This is due to the fact that its magnetic field is tilted 60 degrees from the axis of rotation.
  • Like Venus, Uranus spins from east to west, which is opposite from the spin of Earth.
  • Uranus has rings that are composed of fine dust, rocks, and ice boulders. The rings are very faint and remained undiscovered until the Voyager 2 spacecraft visited the planet in 1986.
  • Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have visited Uranus.
  • Uranus is named after the Greek god of the sky. Uranus was the husband of Gaia, the goddess of the Earth.

Back to CyberAstronomy