Jul '24
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Uranus was the first planet to be discovered using a telescope, and is well known for rotating completely on its side. Its biggest moon is Titania.
Formation
Uranus formed in the outer edges of the Solar Nebula and didn't form from a rocky clump core (unlike the other planets) because of its distance from the Sun, only leaving it a gaseous planet (Also an ice giant).
Uranus was the furthest planet from the Sun until 4.5 billion years ago when Jupiter and Saturn's gravity distorted the orbit of Neptune and Pluto, propelling them back much further than Uranus.
Internal Structure
Uranus's internal structure in its core makes it the least massive of all the gas giants, even lighter than Saturn.
Uranus's core is relatively small compared to that of the other Jovians, and only has a mass of 0.55 Earth masses. It is mostly composed silicate iron, nickel, and traces of water and rock. The core does not make a large portion of the planet.
Rings of Uranus
The rings of Uranus
Main article: Rings of Uranus
The rings of Uranus are the second-largest set of rings in the solar system, after those of Saturn. The rings were discovered by James L. Elliot, Douglas J. Mink, and Edward W. Dunham on March 10, 1977. There are thirteen identified rings of Uranus. Nine were found the following year of 1978. Eight years later, two more were discovered by Voyager 2, and the final two were found by the Hubble Space Telescope between the years of 2003 and 2005. The rings are composed of mostly water and ice. The rings are believed to be young compared to other celestial features, being only roughly 600 million years old.
| Rings of Uranus | ||
|---|---|---|
| Classical Rings | α • β • η • γ • δ • λ • ε | |
| Lesser Rings and Extensions | ζcc • ζc • 1986U2R/ζ • 6 • 5 • 4 • 4-α • β-α • ηc • δc • λc • ν • μ | |
| Unconfirmed Rings | λ-δ • η-β | |
Atmosphere
The atmosphere of Uranus consists of more than 83% hydrogen. The rest is made up of different gases such as helium, methane and ammonia.
Uranus' clouds consist of hydrogen sulfide, creating a smell of rotten eggs.
Orbit and Rotation
Uranus completes one orbit around the Sun every 84 Earth years since it is more than 3 billion kilometers from the Sun.
Uranus makes one rotation on its axis-rotation in seventeen Earth hours. In the northern poles of Uranus, the speed of its winds increase as the planet rotates. The poles can rotate in fourteen hours.
Uranus used to be right-side up like all the other planets, but billions of years ago, a planet likely impacted Uranus causing it to tilt 98 degrees.
Uranus rotates on its side, and also orbits retrograde relative to the other planets.
Composition
Similar to the other gaseous planets in our solar system, Uranus is comprised of mostly hydrogen and helium. However, Uranus is also comprised of heavier compounds such as methane, which is responsible for its pale blue color. Because of this, Uranus and Neptune are both commonly referred to as “ice giants”.[1]
Moons
Main article: Moons of Uranus
Uranus has 28 moons all named after characters of from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.
| Moons of Uranus | ||
|---|---|---|
| Regular | Ring Shepards | Cordelia • Ophelia |
| Portia Group | Bianca • Cressida • Desdemona • Juliet • Portia • Rosalind | |
| Belinda Group | Cupid • Belinda • Perdita | |
| Ungrouped | Puck • Mab | |
| Major | Miranda • Ariel • Umbriel • Titania • Oberon | |
| Irregular | Caliban Group | Caliban • Stephano • S/2023 U 1 |
| Ungrouped | Francisco • Trinculo • Sycorax • Margaret • Prospero • Setebos • Ferdinand | |
Trivia
- Uranus is commonly pronounced as “your anus”, which has been a common meme or joke about the planet for a very long time. However, the correct way to pronounce it is actually “yoor uh nus” or sometimes "your ah nus", which both of these terms are commonly used by scientists.
- Despite Uranus having more rings than Saturn, they are much dimmer. This is due to the fact that Saturn’s individual rings are much thicker than Uranus’s rings.
Gallery
See Also
| The Planets and Dwarf Planets | |
|---|---|
| Planets | |
| Inner: (Mercury • Venus • Earth • Mars) Outer: (Jupiter • Saturn • Uranus • Neptune) | |
| Dwarf Planets (and candidates) | |
| Ceres • Pluto • Haumea • Makemake • Quaoar • Orcus • Eris • Gonggong • Sedna | |