# Wikijunior:Solar System/Uranus

Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, was discovered by William
Herschel on March 13, 1781.[^1]

!Uranus as seen from Voyager
2
{{/Coolfacts\|
!⛢.svg "⛢"){width="80"}\|Uranus Facts:\|

-   Uranus\'s rings look white in pictures, but they are really made of
    asphalt-colored material.
-   When it was first discovered, Uranus was mistaken for a star. It was
    named \"34 Tauri\".
-   Uranus rotates on its side It is the only planet to do so.

}}

## How big is Uranus?

!Comparison of the size of Uranus and the
Earth
Uranus is 51,118 kilometers or about four Earths wide. It is the third
widest and fourth heaviest planet in the Solar System.\

## What is the surface of Uranus like?

Uranus does not have a surface that you could stand on without going
deep into the **atmosphere**. Under the atmosphere, there may be an even
mixture of rock and ice.[^2]

## What are the rings around Uranus like?

Uranus has eleven rings. They are dark in colour and very hard to see.
They were discovered by accident in 1977. Scientists were studying a
bright star near Uranus. However, the star\'s light was blocked before
and after it disappeared behind Uranus. From this, they figured out that
Uranus has a ring system.[^3]

## What are its moons like?

right\|thumb\|Uranus\'s rings and
moons

Uranus has 27 known moons, which places it third in the Solar System for
number of moons. The five main ones are Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania
and Oberon.[^4]

### Miranda

Miranda is the smallest and closest of Uranus\'s major moons. It is
mainly made of ice and rock. Miranda\'s surface has grooves, cliffs, and
valleys. The moon was named after a character in *The Tempest*, a play
by Shakespeare.[^5]

### Ariel

Ariel is made of rock and ice. Ariel has many valleys, but not many
craters. Ariel was named after a character in the poem *The Rape of the
Lock* by Alexander Pope. Ariel is also a spirit in *The Tempest* by
Shakespeare.[^6]

### Umbriel

Umbriel is made of lots of ices and some rock. It is also the darkest of
Uranus\'s major moons. Umbriel was named after a character in the poem
*The Rape of the Lock* by Alexander Pope.[^7]

### Titania

Titania is the largest moon of Uranus. It is mostly ice and rock. The
surface is covered with canyons. It was named after the Queen of the
Fairies in *A Midsummer\'s Night Dream*, a play by Shakespeare.[^8]

{{  }}

### Oberon

Oberon is the outermost of the major moons of Uranus. It is made of the
same things as Titania. It has many craters. Some of them have white
rays around them and dark crater floors. It was named after the King of
the Fairies in *A Midsummer\'s Night Dream*.[^9]

### Other Moons

There are 13 tiny moons known to be **orbiting** Uranus inside
Miranda\'s orbit. Nine more tiny moons are known to be in big orbits
beyond Oberon\'s orbit.[^10]

## How long is a day on Uranus?

One day on Uranus is about 17.24 Earth hours long. Uranus spins on its
side, maybe because of a big impact early in the history of the Solar
System.[^11]

## How long is a year on Uranus?

One year on Uranus would be 30,708 days or 84 years on Earth.[^12]

## What is Uranus made of?

Unlike Jupiter and Saturn, Uranus is thought to be made mostly of rock
and ice. The gases in its atmosphere are 83% **hydrogen**, 15%
**helium**, and 2% **methane**. Other gases found in smaller amounts are
ammonia, water, and **methane**.[^13] Uranus\' blue color comes from
**methane** clouds, which absorb red light and reflect blue light.[^14]

## How much would Uranus\'s gravity pull on me?

If you were floating close to the cloud tops of Uranus, you would be
pulled down with a force about 89% of Earth\'s gravity.[^15]

## Who is Uranus named after?

Uranus was named after Ouranos, the Greek name for the sky. Ouranos was
the ancient Greek deity of the heavens, the earliest supreme God.
According to Greek mythology, Ouranos was the husband and son of Gaia,
Mother Earth.[^16]

Next Topic: Neptune

## References

```{=html}
<references/>
```
ar:ويكي الأطفال:نظام
شمسي/أورانيوس
de:Wikijunior Sonnensystem/
Uranus
nl:Wikijunior:Zonnestelsel/Uranus
pl:Wikijunior:Uklad_Sloneczny/Uran

[^1]: <http://www.nineplanets.org/uranus.html>

[^2]: <http://www.solarviews.com/eng/uranus.htm>;
    <http://www.nineplanets.org/uranus.html>

[^3]: <http://www.solarsystem.org.uk/uranus/>

[^4]: <http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/index.html>;
    <http://www.nineplanets.org/uranus.html>

[^5]: <http://www.nineplanets.org/miranda.html>;
    <http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/solarsystem/uranus/miranda.shtml>

[^6]: <http://www.nineplanets.org/ariel.html>;
    <http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/solarsystem/uranus/ariel.shtml>

[^7]: <http://www.nineplanets.org/umbriel.html>;
    <http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/solarsystem/uranus/umbriel.shtml>

[^8]: \[<http://www.nineplanets.org/titania.html>;
    <http://www.nineplanets.org/titania.html>\];
    <http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/solarsystem/uranus/titania.shtml>

[^9]: <http://www.nineplanets.org/oberon.html>;
    <http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/solarsystem/uranus/oberon.shtml>

[^10]: <http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/uraniansatfact.html>

[^11]: Gierasch, Peter J., and Philip D. Nicholson. \"Uranus.\" World
    Book Online Reference Center. 2004. World Book, Inc.
    <http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar577720>;
    <http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/uranus_worldbook.html>

[^12]: Gierasch, Peter J., and Philip D. Nicholson. \"Uranus.\" World
    Book Online Reference Center. 2004. World Book, Inc.
    <http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar577720>;
    <http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/uranus_worldbook.html>

[^13]: <http://www.nineplanets.org/uranus.html>;
    <http://www.solarviews.com/eng/uranus.htm>

[^14]: <http://www.solarviews.com/eng/uranus.htm>

[^15]: Gierasch, Peter J., and Philip D. Nicholson. \"Uranus.\" World
    Book Online Reference Center. 2004. World Book, Inc.
    <http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar577720>;
    <http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/uranus_worldbook.html>

[^16]: <http://www.nineplanets.org/uranus.html>
