Description
Uranus is the inner of Sol's two ice giants - gaseous worlds composed primarily of volatile materials heavier than hydrogen and helium, such as methane, water, and ammonia, which are known in planetary science as 'ices'. It has no solid surface, instead having a steadily thickening atmosphere composed of hydrogen, helium and methane which gives way to a thick, liquid, ice-rich mantle as depth increases, ending eventually in a solid rocky core. The planet's upper atmosphere is the coldest place known on any of the major planets, with temperatures as low as 49 K.[1]
Diagram of the interior of Uranus
Uranus is an unusual world in that its axis of rotation is almost parallel to its orbital plane, meaning that it is 'laying on its side'. Because of this, the planet's poles receive more light from the sun than its equator. The cause of this unusual tilt is thought to be from an impact between Uranus and another protoplanet early in the Solar system's history. The Uranian magnetic field is dramatically offset from the planet's center of mass and not aligned with its rotational axis.
Uranus has a system of rings which is second only to Saturn's in prominence, but it has the smallest system of moons of any of the gas planets. The rings are extremely dark, reflecting less than 2% of the radiation that strikes them, and are mostly lacking in dust due to Uranus' extended thermosphere. They are thought to be young, less than 600 million years old, and likely are the remains of small moons that were destroyed by collisions. The rings and moons orbit along Uranus' orbital plane, meaning that they experience the same extreme rotational tilt as their parent planet.
Background information about the discovery of Uranus
3D model displaying the rotation of Uranus
The main moons of Uranus: Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon
- ↑ This article was adapted from the Space Engine ingame wiki.
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