Interesting Facts About Planet Uranus

Did you know that a day on Uranus's poles last for 42 years each? This also means that Uranus takes 82 years to complete one revolution around the Sun. Well, there are many more interesting facts about this planet which almost spins on its sides. Yes, its true; unlike other planets which have a slightly tilted axis, Uranus spins at a 99 degree slope. According to the scientists, a collision with a space object may have changed the slope of its axis.

The Uranus was discovered on the 13th of March 1781, by Sir William Herschel and was named after a Greek God. It is visible to naked eyes, but interestingly, was discovered after the invention of the telescope. Internally the planet is made up of ices of ammonia, water and methane. The Uranus shares the name "ice-giant" with Neptune and is the coldest planet of our Solar System with -224 ^oC as the minimum temperature.

Let us find out a few more interesting facts about this 7th planet of our Solar System.

Low Density
Uranus is the planet with second lowest density, the first one being Saturn. Its density is 1.27 g/cm³.

Uranus Rings
How many rings does Uranus have? It is now an established fact, that the rings around this planet are 13 in number, and are visible only through the telescope. These are extremely narrow as compared to that of the Saturn and only few kilometers in thickness. Rings made of ice is the specialty of Uranus; though some amount of dust is spread between these rings.

Spectacular View
Although the Uranus doesn't offer a pleasing view to our naked eyes - just a dull blue color, it is possible to see storms and magnificent bands of clouds when seen through the infrared wavelength of light.

Uranus Moons
Uranus has as many as 27 moons. But these are tiny, and even if we add their total weight it is less than half of the total weight of Triton - Neptune's largest moon.

Fierce Winds
Uranus has a windy atmosphere. Winds blowing with great speeds of 200 miles per hour, is a common thing on the surface of Uranus.

Green Color
Uranus appears to be green due to the methane gas present in its atmosphere. Photochemical smog is also another reason for the color.

Magnetic Field
The cause behind Uranus's magnetic field is not clearly known. Geometric center is the source of magnetic field in other planets. It is said that the magnetic field is due to certain substances, found at shallow depths in the planet's surface.

Brightness of Uranus
Uranus comes under the category of 'one of the few brightest planets' seen from the earth.

Voyager 2
Uranus was visited only once, on 24th January, 1986. The spaceship Voyager 2 sent by NASA - came within 81,500 kilometers of Uranus's atmosphere. After that no other spaceship has been sent to the Uranus.

The only Greek Name - Uranus
Except Uranus, every other planet has a Roman name. It is the only planet with a Greek name.

Florescent Cheerio
There is a bright ring known as the "Florescent Cheerio" on one of the moons of Uranus's moon - Umbriel.

The facts which we know about Uranus and the images received by the Voyager 2 have been an important source for studying this planet closely. In the future too, there are no voyages planned for this weird but interesting planet. Let's hope that, the next voyage to explore more about Uranus is undertaken in the near future.