25 Facts About Uranus

1.

Uranus is similar in composition to Neptune, and both have bulk chemical compositions which differ from that of the larger gas giants Jupiter and Saturn.

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2.

Uranus had been observed on many occasions before its recognition as a planet, but it was generally mistaken for a star.

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3.

Uranus explained this decision in a letter to Joseph Banks:.

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4.

Bode argued that the name should follow the mythology so as not to stand out as different from the other planets, and that Uranus was an appropriate name as the father of the first generation of the Titans.

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5.

Uranus noted that elegance of the name in that just as Saturn was the father of Jupiter, the new planet should be named after the father of Saturn.

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6.

Bode was however apparently unaware that Uranus was only the Latinised form of the titular deity, and his Roman equivalent was Caelus.

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7.

Uranus is called by a variety of names in other languages.

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8.

Orbital elements of Uranus were first calculated in 1783 by Pierre-Simon Laplace.

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9.

One result of this axis orientation is that, averaged over the Uranian year, the near-polar regions of Uranus receive a greater energy input from the Sun than its equatorial regions.

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10.

At opposition, Uranus is visible to the naked eye in dark skies, and becomes an easy target even in urban conditions with binoculars.

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11.

The total mass of ice in Uranus's interior is not precisely known, because different figures emerge depending on the model chosen; it must be between 9.

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12.

One of the hypotheses for this discrepancy suggests that when Uranus was hit by a supermassive impactor, which caused it to expel most of its primordial heat, it was left with a depleted core temperature.

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13.

Composition of Uranus's atmosphere is different from its bulk, consisting mainly of molecular hydrogen and helium.

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14.

Uranus's magnetosphere contains charged particles: mainly protons and electrons, with a small amount of H2 ions.

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15.

Uranus has relatively well developed aurorae, which are seen as bright arcs around both magnetic poles.

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16.

Unlike Jupiter's, Uranus's aurorae seem to be insignificant for the energy balance of the planetary thermosphere.

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17.

At ultraviolet and visible wavelengths, Uranus's atmosphere is bland in comparison to the other giant planets, even to Neptune, which it otherwise closely resembles.

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18.

In 2007, when Uranus passed its equinox, the southern collar almost disappeared, and a faint northern collar emerged near 45° of latitude.

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19.

The speculation is that Uranus is becoming more Neptune-like during its equinoctial season.

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20.

On 23 August 2006, researchers at the Space Science Institute and the University of Wisconsin observed a dark spot on Uranus's surface, giving scientists more insight into Uranus atmospheric activity.

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21.

Uranus has at least one horseshoe orbiter occupying the Sun–Uranus L3 Lagrangian point—a gravitationally unstable region at 180° in its orbit, 83982 Crantor.

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22.

All except two rings of Uranus are extremely narrow – they are usually a few kilometres wide.

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23.

The spacecraft studied the structure and chemical composition of Uranus's atmosphere, including its unique weather, caused by its axial tilt of 97.

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24.

Possibility of sending the Cassini spacecraft from Saturn to Uranus was evaluated during a mission extension planning phase in 2009, but was ultimately rejected in favour of destroying it in the Saturnian atmosphere.

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25.

Uranus was her first king, founder of their civilized life and inventor of many useful arts.

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