Uranus: Size, distance from the Sun, orbit

Uranus, the third-largest planet in the solar system, has an average temperature of –350° F and does not have a solid surface.
By | Published: October 20, 2023 | Last updated on March 18, 2024

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Key Takeaways:

  • Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, possesses a diameter of 31,800 miles (51,100 kilometers), making it the solar system's third-largest planet.
  • Its atmosphere, composed primarily of hydrogen (83%), helium (15%), and methane (2%), imparts a distinctive blue-green hue due to the presence of methane.
  • Orbiting at a distance of approximately 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km) from the Sun, Uranus completes one revolution every 84 Earth years and rotates on its axis every 17 hours.
  • Characterized by an extreme axial tilt, possibly resulting from a past collision, Uranus lacks a solid surface and is encircled by 11 narrow rings and at least 27 moons, five of which are significantly larger than the others.
Key takeaways sponsored by The Space Store
Earth-based telescopes easily show Uranus’ distinctive blue-green color. This 2006 Hubble Space Telescope image also reveals banding in the atmosphere as well as a rare transit by the planet’s moon Ariel (the white dot) and its shadow (to the right). Credit: NASA/ESA/L. Sromovsky (University of Wisconsin–Madison).
Earth-based telescopes easily show Uranus’ distinctive blue-green color. This 2006 Hubble Space Telescope image also reveals banding in the atmosphere as well as a rare transit by the planet’s moon Ariel (the white dot) and its shadow (to the right). Credit: NASA/ESA/L. Sromovsky (University of Wisconsin–Madison).
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Size: About 4 Earths would fit side by side across the face of Uranus. Its diameter is 31,800 miles (51,100 kilometers), making it the third-largest planet in the solar system.
Distance from the Sun: The seventh planet from the Sun, it orbits at a distance of about 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km), more than 19 times farther than Earth’s orbit.Orbit around the Sun: It goes around the Sun once every 84 Earth years.Rotation: It spins on its axis one time every 17 hours.

Surface: The planet does not have solid surface.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere of  holds hydrogen (83 percent), helium (15 percent), and methane (2 percent). Methane is what gives Uranus its blue-green color.

Temperature: It is is very cold — its average temperature is
–350° F (–210° C).Escape velocity: To escape the gravity, you need to travel 47,600 miles (76,600 km) per hour, compared to 25,000 miles (40,200 km) per hour necessary to escape Earth’s gravity.Other information: Discovered by William Herschel in 1781, Uranus is encircled by 11 narrow rings.

The planet’s five largest moons are: Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon, and Miranda. There are at least 22 smaller moons.

Uranus is the planet tipped on its side. Uranus spins more like a barrel on its side than a top. This strange tilt may be the result of a collision with another body that tipped Uranus on its side.

In mythology, Uranus was the father of Saturn and grandfather of Jupiter.

You can get more facts on the planets in our solar system in each of the articles linked to below:

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