Are there planets that are not composed of rock, like Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars? Are there planets where there is no land, just all nothingness? Yes, there are, they are known as a Gas Giants, they are large celestial bodies that are instead made up of gases. They may have a solid core, and their storm-laden atmosphere is very thick. They are all so large they could fit ten Earths.

The first planet to be discovered with a telescope is Uranus. But unlike Neptune, Uranus is visible to the naked eye. Albeit its gargantuan size, Uranus is categorized as one of the least dense planets. Because of its low density level, the gravity on the planet is relatively weak therefore the gravity experienced on the planet would only be 89% of what it would feel like walking on Earth. Uranus is gaseous that it doesn’t really have a solid surface.

Uranus has 27 confirmed natural satellites in its orbit. Unlike most moons named after Greek mythological characters, the moons of Uranus are named after the people in William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope’s literary works.

In astrology, the five planets known by humans even before actual scientific observations are known as the classical planets. Even without the tools, these planets were known to exist (although not as planets, naturally) because they were visible to the human eye. Like these planets, Uranus is also visible without the aid of a telescope. However, due to its movement and dimness, it was not recognized. This planet—the seventh in the Solar System and named after Greek mythology’s deity of [...]

Uranus was actually observed on several occasions before it was finally recognized as a planet, but the observation was directed to the mistaken belief that it was a star. The earliest sighting for this that was recorded was on the year 1690 when a person named John Flamsteed make observations on the planet for a minimum of six times while a French astronomer named Pierre Lemonnier made observations of it in between the years 1750 and 1769 for a minimum [...]

Saturn has the most complex ring system in the solar system while Jupiter and Neptune have faint and simple rings. Uranus rings may not be as extensive as Saturn’s but it is more complex compared to Jupiter’s and Neptune’s. The Uranus rings were first observed more than 2 centuries ago by British astronomer William Herschel. Modern scientists argue whether Herschel actually saw the rings using the available technology at the time because the rings of Uranus are very faint and [...]

Uranus is the seventh planet that is farthest from the sun. It also ranks as the third largest planet in our solar system and the fourth ranker when it comes to mass. Despite its similar visibility when compared to the other five classical planets, ancient observers do not actually recognize it as a planet because of its slow orbit and dimness.

Uranus’ atmosphere is mainly composed of helium and hydrogen. A large part of its atmosphere is also composed of water, ammonia and methane. The surface below its upper atmosphere is filled with a “sea” of ammonia, water and hydrogen. The transition from liquid to gas in the atmosphere is not clear. The part of the atmosphere that is filled with gas contains hydrogen and helium. Uranus and Neptune are known for being the ice giants because of their composition. The [...]

Uranus makes its way around the Sun once every 84 years (a year on Uranus is equivalent to 84 Earth years). Its average distance from it would be around 3 billion km. The intensity of the sunlight that reaches the planet is about 1/400 of that on Earth.

Although Uranus is not the farthest planet from the Sun, it is the coldest planet in the Solar System. Like its neighbor, Neptune, Uranus is an ice giant, meaning it does not have a solid surface and what is called its ‘surface’ is actually a layer of clouds that lies above what may be a layer of liquid water and a core of rock at the center of the planet. Uranus is 14.5 times bigger than Earth, making it the [...]