SOLAR SYSTEM

Uranus the sideways planet

Uranus is the seventh of nine planets in our solar system and is one of the outer "ice giant" planets. Uranus spins sideways and "rolls" in its orbit around the sun. Uranus is best viewed in summer and is in the constellation Aries currently.


Uranus 4K image (pan-zoom)

Pan, zoom, or go full-screen with this megapixel image of Uranus.

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  Original image: NASA


Uranus facts

CHARACTERISTIC VALUE
Magnitude: 5.5
Mass: 8.7 x 1025 kg
Radius: 25,559 km
Density: 1.29 gm/cm3
Distance from Sun: 2.87 billion km
Rotational period: 17 hours
Orbital period: 84 years
Orbital velocity: 6.8 km/sec
Eccentricity of orbit: 0.046
Tilt of axis: 97.86 °
Inclination of orbit: 0.77 °
Surface gravity: 7.77 m/sec2
Escape velocity: 21.3 km/sec
Albedo: 0.51
Temperature (at 1 bar): -198° C mean
Atmosphere: H2 = 83%
He = 15%
CH4 = 2.3%
Moons: 27


Rings of Uranus

Uranus has 13 faint rings - the brightest 4 are visible below.

Rings listed are in order of distance from Uranus.

NAME DISTANCE SHEPHERD
ζ ring 37,850 - 41,350 km -
6 ring 41,837 km -
5 ring 42,234 km -
4 ring 42,570 km -
α ring 44,718 km -
β ring 45,661 km -
η ring 47,175 km -
γ ring 47,627 km -
δ ring 48,300 km -
λ ring 50,023 km -
ε ring 51,149 km Cordelia, Ophelia
ν ring 66,100 - 69,900 km Portia, Rosalind
μ ring 86,000 - 103,000 km Mab (ring maker)


Uranus features

Uranus' atmosphere is virtually featureless, save for aurorae and the occasional cloud.





Largest moons of Uranus (3 out of 27 shown)

Uranus has 27 known moons, with Titania being the largest. The largest three moons are shown - for information on all 27 moons, see Moons of Uranus.


Uranus vs. Earth ratios

Planet sizes are to relative scale.






Two things are infinite - the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.

- Albert Einstein