Diameter: 51,118 km
Mass: 4 Earths
Composition: Ice: water, ammonia & methane
Atmosphere: Hydrogen & helium
Surface Temperature: -224 to - 216 °C
Year length: 84 Earth years
Day length: 17 hours & 14 minutes
- Uranus is one of the four “gas giants” but is also regarded as one of two “ice giants” along with Neptune.
- Similar to Venus, Uranus rotates in a “retrograde” clockwise fashion, opposite to that of the Sun.
- Uranus has a similar composition to that of Neptune.
- Among astronomers the pronunciation “yur-ran-us” is more widely used, as opposed to “yur-ay-nus”. However, both are acceptable.
- Uranus was the first planet discovered with a telescope. Sir William Herschel found it in 1781.
- In 1986, Voyager 2 became the first spacecraft to explore Uranus.
- It is named after the ancient Greek god of the sky “Uranus”.