Uranus
The giant that spins on its side
Uranus is a distant planet with a gentle blue-green colour. A gas called methane in its atmosphere helps give it this shade. Sunlight is much weaker here than near Earth, and the surroundings are very cold. Uranus is called an ice giant, but it is not like an ice cube. Dense, hot material hides beneath its clouds.
This planet has an unusual tilt. It seems to lie on its side as it travels around the Sun! Its seasons are very long. Uranus has thin rings and moons. Voyager 2 photographed it nearby, and scientists still study it with telescopes.
At a glance
For children ages 4–7 and their grown-ups.
- Seventh planet from the Sun
- Equatorial diameter: about 51,118 km
- Year: about 84 Earth years
- Day: about 17 hours
Interesting facts
- Uranus is an ice giant.
- Its rotation axis is tipped so far that it appears to spin on its side.
- Methane in its atmosphere helps give Uranus its blue-green colour.
Questions children ask
Does Uranus have rings?
Yes, though they are much less conspicuous than Saturn’s rings.
Is it cold there?
Yes. Uranus is far from the Sun and has a very cold atmosphere.
Source for facts and characteristics: NASA · Uranus
Explore more
In the planetarium you can spin this world and look at it from every side.
Sources and images
Celestial maps: Solar System Scope / INOVE · CC BY 4.0. Thumbnails were reduced and shaded. Artistic SVG maps were created for this project.