Interactive Astronomy

Fast Facts:

Orbital Period- 84 years

Density- 12 000kg/ cubic metre

Escape Velocity- 21km/s

Rotation period (backwards) - 0.69 Earth day

Diameter- 51 800km

No. of known moons: 21

Uranus

Uranus’ atmosphere is made up of mostly helium, methane and hydrogen. Its core is made up of rock and water. Uranus is blue for the fact that Methane found in the atmosphere absorbs red light from the sun. Uranus has a magnetic field, but its source remains unknown. It also has rings. They are of nine sets and is made up of boulders and fine dust. The ring particles are low in reflectivity which accounts for its faint appearance. Uranus is special as it rotates in a tilted position along its axis. This is distinguished from the fact that the tail of the magnetic field was actually in a twisted shape of a corkscrew behind Uranus. Scientists believe that the tilt is caused by a collision with another extraterrestrial object. 

Geography:

• Due to Uranus’ highly eccentric orbit, its poles receive more heat and light than its equator. Nevertheless, Uranus is still hotter in its equator by some unknown forces
• Uranus has bands of clouds which generate high velocity winds
• Uranus gets its energy from the sun. Thus, the cloud movement patterns vary in seasons during the Uranian year

Anatomy:

• Being the third gas giant or Jovian planet apart from Jupiter and Saturn, Uranus has no mantle or crust, only bands of gas that gets denser at lower altitudes.
• Its uniform core is made up of rock and water. It also contains the liquid metallic hydrogen which gives Uranus its magnetic field
• Uranus rotates in a retrograde motion
• Uranus’ axis is parallel to its elliptical plane. It could be caused massive collision.
• Its gravitational field is thus twisted at 60 degrees according to its orbit.
• There is no distinct separation of the inner-lying layers of clouds but they are uniformly distributed

Chemical composition:

• Uranus is blue as the methane atmosphere it has absorbs red light
• Uranus has 11 divisions of rings which are rather low in reflectivity
• Uranus is comprised of rock, ice, and a small percentage of hydrogen and helium
• Uranus radiates little heat

Shape:

A sphere but near oval.

Climate:

• Uranus’ has an atmosphere of hydrogen, helium and methane
• Its cloud temperature is at 59K.
• Its atmospheric pressure is extremely high at its interiors

Moons: 21 moons