If other planets of the solar system can be compared to spinning tops, then Uranus is more like a rolling ball. The fact is that its orbit is tilted so strongly that it essentially revolves around our star "on its side". What else should you know about the seventh planet in the distance from the Sun?
We present to your attention 10 interesting facts about Uranus:
If the Sun were about the size of a standard front door, then the Earth would be about the size of a 5 cent coin, and Uranus would be about the size of a baseball.
The third in diameter and fourth in mass planet of the solar system revolves around our star at a distance of about 2.9 billion km, or 19.19 AU.
One day on Uranus is equal to 17 earth hours (this is exactly how much time the planet needs to complete one complete revolution around its axis). A year on Uranus is equal to 84 Earth years, or 30.687 days (the period of revolution around the Sun).
Comparison of the sizes of the Earth and Uranus
Promotional video:
© NASA
Uranus belongs to the category of the so-called "ice giants". In its bowels, on top of a small stone core, there is a lot of ice in its high-temperature modifications.
Uranus has an atmosphere composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. In addition, traces of methane and other hydrocarbons were found in it. It is the presence of methane in the planet's atmosphere that gives it its characteristic blue-green color.
27 - exactly the number of satellites has the seventh planet of the solar system. They all bear the names of characters from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. The five main largest satellites on the planet are Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon.
Uranus and some of its supporters
© NASA
Uranus also has a weak ring system. Their number is limited to 13. The inner rings are narrow and dark, while the outer ones are painted in bright colors.
NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft is the only spacecraft to have “visited” Uranus. He approached the "ice giant" in January 1986. The device took thousands of photographs of Uranus and its moons, and then rushed off "to a rendezvous" with its next target - Neptune.
According to scientists, life on Uranus is impossible. The average temperature on the planet's surface is –212 ° С.
Like Venus, Uranus has a retrograde rotation, that is, it rotates from east to west. Unlike any other planets of the solar system, Uranus rotates as if "on its side". Such anomalous tilt of the planet is usually explained by the collision of Uranus with a large celestial body at an early stage of its formation.
Voyager 2 photo of Uranus
© NASA
How did Uranus get its name?
Uranus is the first planet discovered in modern times and with a telescope. The English astronomer William Herschel is considered to be its discoverer. This event took place in 1781.
Initially, Herschel wanted to name the new member of the solar system planet George in honor of King George III. However, this idea did not find support, and as a result, the seventh planet was named after the Greek god of the sky, Uranus.