A Blue-Green World

Uranus is the third largest pla

net after Jupiter and Saturn. U
ranus has 21 moons and smal
l, dusty rings.

Voyager 2 acquired this view

of the seventh planet while de
parting the Uranian system in l
ate January 1986. This image
looks at the planet approximat
ely along its rotational pole.

Voyager 2 image of Uranus, 1986 (Image:NASA)

A Blue-Green World
Uranus has a thick hydrogen-meth
ane atmosphere. Methane causes
the planet’s blue-green color.

Some astronomers call Uranus and

Neptune ‘ice giants’ because most
of their mass is ice and some rocky
material.

It appears that Uranus does not ha

ve a rocky core like Jupiter and Sat
urn but rather that its material is m
ore or less uniformly distributed.
 Hubble’s View

This image, taken by Hubble,

clearly shows Uranus and its r
ings.

Uranus’ rings are smaller and

dustier than those of Saturn, a
nd will eventually dissipate.

Image: NASA
Deep exposure of Uranus taken
with the Hubble Space Telescop
e reveal two small moons and t
wo faint rings. All orbit outside
of Uranus's previously known (
main) ring system, but interior to
the large, classical moons.
Dusty Rings

This image reveals many broad

lanes of dust surrounding the 9
main rings of Uranus. It was tak
en by Voyager 2 looking back t
oward the sun through the ring
system.
Tipsy?

Uranus moves around the Sun w

ith its rotation axis is perpendi
cular to its orbit around the su
n.

It is thought that a planet-sized b

ody hit Uranus early in its history
, “tipping” it over. Because of th
is, Uranus’ seasons last over 20
years!
 George’s Star

• Uranus was discovered by

William Herschel, the British
royal astronomer, in 1781.
• Herschel thought the planet
was a comet at first!
• He tried to name it “George’
s Star” after King George.
God of the Sky

The name "Uranus" was eventually

proposed in order to conform with t
he other planetary names from class
ical mythology. The name didn't co
me into common use until 1850.

To the ancient Greeks, Uranus was

god of the sky and heavens.
 Uranus’ Moons

Miranda
Ariel
Umbriel Titania Oberon

Uranus has 5 medium-sized moons and 21 smaller moons.

The five main satellites are Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Tatania and Oberon.