Uranus
Uranus is an almost featureless ball of pale blue haze. Uranus and Neptune are very similar, I like to call them the blue twins. However, perhaps one of the biggest differences is the fact that Neptune is the stormiest planet, while Uranus is the calmest of the Jovian planets (but that doesn't means it is calm).
Uranus Stats
Average Distance from Sun: 2872.46 million km
Perihelion: 2741.30 million km Aphelion: 3003.62 million km Mass: 14.54 times Earth Equatorial Diameter: 51 118 km Polar Diameter: 49 946 km Volume: 63.08 times Earth Gravity: 0.905 times Earth (8.87 N/kg) Temperature: -197 C to -224 C Rotation: -17.24 hours Revolution: 30 588.740 Earth days Moons: 27+ Rings: 13 Type: Jovian planet Namesake: Ouranos (Uranus) was the Greek embodiment of the sky. His Roman form is Caelus. |
Uranus Facts
- URANUS IS TIPPED ON ITS SIDE. To be exact, 97.8 degrees! This means that it experiences 20.937 Earth years of constant sunlight on one pole, 20.937 years of in-between, 20.937 years of constant darkness and another 20.937 years of in-between. Imagine if Earth were like that!
- URANIAN MOON NAMES COME FROM LITERATURE, specifically from William Shakespeare (picture below) and Alexander Pope.
- URANUS WASN'T ALWAYS CALLED URANUS. When William Herschel discovered it in 1781, he called the planet the Georgium Sidis (the Georgian Star), to honour King George. Of course, the king loved it, but all the countries weren't so happy, because all the planets were named after a god/goddess from Greek or Roman mythology.
- URANUS HAS THE COLDEST RECORDED TEMPERATURE OF THE JOVIAN PLANETS. At -224 C, that beats Neptune, even though it's farther away!
- URANUS (AND NEPTUNE) ARE BLUE DUE TO METHANE. Approximately 2% of both planets' atmospheres are made of methane. The methane absorbs red light and bounces shades of blue light back out. This gives both planets their pale blue colours.
- URANUS'S RINGS WERE DISCOVERED USING STARS. When Uranus was looked at through a telescope, its' rings blocked out the light of stars in the background, which led to the discovery of Uranus's rings.
- URANUS (AND NEPTUNE) APPEARS FUZZY. This is because its atmosphere is hazy, which is why the blue twins appear to be a bit fuzzy in appearance.