Interesting Facts about Uranus
15. Uranus was officially discovered by Sir William Herschel in 1781.
14. Uranus is the coldest planet in the Solar System.
13. Uranus is the Farthest Planet from Earth that is Visible to the Naked Eye.
12. Uranus spins lying on its side (like a barrel), this is perhaps due to a large collision early in its formation.
11. After Saturn, a space-craft would have to travel 1,500,000,000 kilometres to reach Uranus. This means the planet is almost twice the distance from the Sun than Saturn is.
10. Uranus is named after the Greek god of the sky. Uranus was the husband of Gaia, the goddess of the Earth.
9. A day in the north pole of Uranus lasts 84 Earth years.
8. Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun! The sixth planet is Saturn and the eigth planet is Neptune.
7. The atmosphere is made up of hydrogen, helium, and methane. The methane absorbs red light and reflects blue, giving the planet its color.
6. Uranus turns on its axis once every 17 hours, 14 minutes.
5. Summer on Uranus lasts one long day – 42 years.
4. Uranus actually has rings, though they are hard to see.
3. Uranus was the first planet discovered by telescope.
2. If we were able to see Uranus' moons orbiting the planet, they would go over and under the planet like lights on a ferris wheel.
1. A year on Uranus is equal to 84.01 Earth Years (orbit around the sun).
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