Uranus

Page 1 of 2

Jump to: intro characteristics features

Text Version

INTRO:
Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun. It is the farthest planet that can be seen without the use of a telescope. It is about 1,786,400,000 miles from the sun. It is a giant sphere made of gas and liquid. The diameter is 31,763 miles. The surface is made of blue-green methane clouds. Uranus was discovered in 1781. It is necessary that one carefully pronounces this planet's name in order to keep from embarassment. It is pronounced "YOOR a nus", not "your anus" or "urine us".

CHARACTERISTICS:
Uranus' orbit is elliptical, and lasts 30,685 earth days. Uranus also rotates on it's axiz as it travels around the sun, just like the earth. Uranus is tilted so far on its side that it actually lies almost level with its orbital path around the sun. Most planets axis' tilt less than 30 degrees, but Uranus tilts at 98 degrees. The mass of this planet is 14 1/2 times larger than that of the earth. Its density is approximately 1.27 grams per cubic centimeter. The force of gravitty is nionety percent of that on earth, so if an object weighs 100 pounds on earth, it would weigh 90 pounds on Uranus. The atmosphere of Uranus is composed of many gases. It is 83% hydrogen, 15% helium, 2% methane, and has small amounts of ethane and other gases. The temperature of the atmosphere is about -355 degrees Farenheit. The interior's temperature rises fast and can reach up to 4,200 degrees F in the ocean and 12,600 degrees in the core.

FEATURES:
Uranus has 15 known satellites. The largest is Titania with a diameter of 980 miles and the smallest being 16 miles, called Cordelia. Among the few other planets that have rings, Uranus is another. It has 10 dark, narrow rings. The width ranges from 3 to 60 miles, and are no more than 33 feet thick. The rings are composed of ice covered by a layer of carbon. It has a strong magnetic field. The axis is tilted 59 degrees from the axis of rotation. It has trapped high energy, electically charged

http://library.thinkquest.org/25097/graphics/g_uran.htm

2/28/2011

Uranus particles in radiation belts around the planets. As the particles more back and forth, they emit radio waves but are too weak to be detected on Earth.

Page 2 of 2

http://library.thinkquest.org/25097/graphics/g_uran.htm

2/28/2011