Uranus

Uranus has a diameter of 31,600 miles and is 1,780,000,000 miles from the sun. It has 11 thin, faint rings and 15 moons. The most notable moons of Uranus are both Oberon and Titania. The planet rotates in about 17 hours and revolves around the Sun every 84 Earth years. Uranus spins vertically rather than horizontally. Some scientists think it collided with another planet long ago and was knocked over. As the planet orbits , first one pole, then the equator, then the other pole, then the equator again, face the sun. each pole has a 42 year day or time of light followed by a 42 year night or time of darkness. Uranus is very cold. Temperatures are about -350 degrees F ( -210 degrees C). This is cold enough to freeze-dry human flesh instantly. Gravity on Uranus is about the same as that of Earth.

Like Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune, Uranus is a gas giant. Uranus has a gaseous core. Its outer layer, the atmosphere, is mostly hydrogen and helium with some ammonia and methane gas. The methane gives the planet a blue-green color.Uranus is about 32,193 miles in diameter. Winter and Summer on Uranus last about 21 years. Uranus was discovered in 1781 by William Herschel. The axis of rotation is tipped way over (98 degrees) to the orbital plane. A ring system has been observed. Uranus has a strong magnetic field which is 48 times that of the Earth. A person weighing 100 pounds on Earth will weigh 80 pounds on the planet Uranus. Images of Uranus were obtained when Voyager 2 passed within 51,000 miles in 1986.

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