Planet Uranus: You should know these facts

Uranus is the coldest planet in the solar system. A day on it lasts for ages. This is because it is far away from the sun

Uranus: Interesting facts about the planet

Uranus is one of the most fascinating planets in our solar system, as its orbit around the sun is quite different from that of the Earth.

• Position in the solar system: Uranus is the seventh planet in our solar system and is located beyond Saturn. It is a gas giant and belongs to the outer planets.

• Discovery: The planet was discovered by the German-British astronomer William Herschel in 1781. It was the first time since ancient times that a new planet had been found in the solar system.

• Orbit and rotation: Uranus orbits the sun at an average distance of around 2.9 billion kilometers and takes around 84 years to do so. The interesting orbit contributes to the fact that the Earth is sometimes above the north pole and sometimes above the south pole of the planet. On Uranus, there is winter for 21 years and summer for 21 years

More interesting facts about the cold planet

The atmosphere of Uranus consists mainly of hydrogen, helium and methane. The methane in the atmosphere absorbs red light and reflects blue light, which gives Uranus a bluish color.

• Rings and moons: Uranus has a ring system consisting of dark and narrow rings. The planet also has at least 27 known moons, including Titania, Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel and Miranda.

• Extreme inclination: Due to its unusual axis of rotation, Uranus lies almost on its side, resulting in extreme seasons. During one part of its year, it is winter on one pole and summer on the other. In spring and fall, day and night therefore last 42 years.

• Exploration: The only space probe that has ever visited Uranus is the Voyager 2 probe in 1986. The mission provided important information about the planet and its moons.

Extremely large, cold and little explored

Unlike the other planets, Uranus has been insufficiently explored. This makes it mysterious for us humans.

• Uranus is 2.9 billion kilometers away from the sun. This makes it the coldest planet in the solar system

• The planet takes 84 years to orbit the sun. This is due to its size and distance from the sun.

• Uranus is four times the size of the Earth. Its surface temperature is -200 degrees Celsius, which makes life on the planet impossible.