Uranus - Next Planet - Back to Planet Walk

Uranus
This photo of Uranus is 20x larger than scale for this Sun and this model. Courtesy NASA

    Uranus is the 7th planet out from the Sun, at 783,700,000 miles. It is the third largest planet in the Solar System after Jupiter and Saturn, but it is the fourth most massive planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune. Uranus is 4.5 times larger in diameter than the Earth and 14.6 times more massive. It is so distant from the Earth that it is only occasionally just barely visible with the unaided eye.

    The planet has a thick, deep atmosphere consisting of 83% hydrogen gas, 15% helium gas, and 2% methane. Uranus has 20 known moons, the most in the Solar System, and at least 11 faint rings. The rings consist of particles ranging in size from dust to tens of yards across, and are made of rocky or carbonaceous materials. This planet's name is unique in that it may cause juvenile tittering when spoken. One may wish to pronounce the name "YOOR-a-nus" or "ya-RAY-nes" not "your-anus".

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