Uranus (Planet)

Discovered by accident in 1781 by Sir William Hershcel, Uranus is a gas giant planet that orbits the Sun beyond the orbit of Saturn.

It is possible to see Uranus with the naked eye or binoculars if you know where to look, however this is under clear conditions with dark skies and the planet will only be seen as a star-like point of light. A small telescope will show Uranus as a greenish disc.

An unusual fact about Uranus is that its equator is inclined to the plane of its orbit by 98 degrees. As a consequence of this for half a Uranian year its north pole will point towards the Sun and towards the south pole the second half of the year.

Axial tilt of the planet Uranus
Credit: K.R.Carr

Mean distance from The Sun 19.22 a.u.

Sidereal Period 83.75 years

Rotation Period 17.24 hours

Mass 14.54 Earth

Diameter 51118 km

The Astronomical symbol for the planet Uranus is represented by the symbol above