What is Uranus?

Overview

Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, is an ice giant with a pale cyan color and a unique tilt, making it appear to roll on its side.

  • Diameter: 50,724 km
  • Distance from Sun: 2.87 billion km
  • Mass: 8.68 x 10²⁵ kg
  • Orbit Period: 84 years
  • Rotation Period: 17.24 hours
Uranus from Voyager 2

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Details

Atmosphere: Hydrogen (83%), helium (15%), and methane (2%), which absorbs red light to give its cyan hue.

Moons: 27 known moons, including Titania, Oberon, and Miranda, named after Shakespearean characters.

Surface: No solid surface—composed of icy materials like water, ammonia, and methane over a small rocky core.

Exploration: Visited by Voyager 2 in 1986, which discovered its faint rings and unusual tilt.

Fun Fact: Uranus' 98° axial tilt may result from a massive collision billions of years ago.