Browsing: Uranus

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun, notable for its unique sideways rotation and striking blue-green color, a result of methane in its atmosphere absorbing red light. Discovered in 1781 by William Herschel, Uranus was the first planet found with a telescope, expanding the known boundaries of our solar system. It has a radius about four times that of Earth and is classified as an ice giant due to its cold, gaseous composition, which includes water, ammonia, and methane ices. Uranus has a complex, layered atmosphere and a magnetic field that is both large and tilted. The planet is encircled by a system of thin, dark rings and has 27 known moons, with names inspired by characters from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. Its orbital period is approximately 84 Earth years, with each pole experiencing 42 years of sunlight followed by 42 years of darkness.