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Uranus


Beyond Saturn lies Uranus, the third largest gas giant of the Solar System. Although having more than 14 times the mass of Earth, the light gasses and ice that form the planet are only 20% denser than water.

Uranus's axis is tipped-over in one direction. At one point in its orbit the Sun lies directly over Uranus's north pole ... the northern hemisphere remains in light all day long, the southern hemisphere remains in darkness all day long. Half an orbit later the situation is reversed. Only between these two extremes does Uranus experience a conventional day/night cycle.

Uranus has a molten rock and metal Earth-sized core with a termperature of 7,000 degrees C. Over this is a deep sea of scalding water and ammonia, surrounded by an 8,000 km thick atmosphere of hydrogen and helium. Traces of methane give the world a blueish-green hue.

In addition to the 15 moons, Uranus also has a complex ring system. But these coal-dark rings are much sparser than Saturn's.


Orbital Distance:   18.275 AU - 20.088 AU (average 19.181 AU)
Eccentricity:       0.047
Local Year:         30,684.90 days (84.01 years)
Orbital Velocity:   6.9 km/s (average)
Inclination:        0.773°
Local Day:          0.718 day (17h 14m 24s)
Axial Tilt:         98.000°

Diameter:           51,118 km (cloud tops)
Composition:        n/a
Density:            1.27 g/cm3
Mass:               8.73 x 1019 tonnes (14.6 earths)
Gravity:            1.17 G
Escape Velocity:    22.5 km/s
Area:               8,209 million km2
Surface Material:   n/a
Atmosphere:         Hydrogen, helium, and methane
Pressure:           ?
Albedo:             0.35
Temperature:        -220°C (cloud tops)

 


Satellite        Distance        Month          Day   Diameter
Cordelia        49,471 km      0.330 d      0.330 d      0.002
Ophelia         53,796 km      0.372 d      0.372 d      0.002
Bianca          59,173 km      0.433 d      0.433 d      0.003
Cressida        61,777 km      0.463 d      0.463 d      0.005
Desdemona       62,676 km      0.475 d      0.475 d      0.004
Juliet          64,352 km      0.493 d      0.493 d      0.007
Portia          66,085 km      0.513 d      0.513 d      0.008
Rosalind        69,941 km      0.558 d      0.558 d      0.004
Belinda         75,258 km      0.622 d      0.622 d      0.005
Puck            86,000 km      0.762 d      0.762 d      0.012
Miranda        129,400 km      1.414 d      1.414 d      0.037
Ariel          191,000 km      2.520 d      2.521 d      0.091
Umbriel        266,300 km      4.144 d      4.145 d      0.092
Titania        435,000 km      8.706 d      8.708 d      0.124
Oberon         583,500 km     13.463 d     13.469 d      0.119
Caliban      7,200,000 km    579.621 d    579.621 d      0.005
Sycorax     12,200,000 km   1278.453 d   1278.453 d      0.009

 


Ring       Distance   Width
6         41,837 km    2 km
5         42,234 km    3 km
4         42,570 km    2 km
Alpha     44,718 km    8 km
Beta      45,661 km    9 km
Eta       47,175 km    2 km
Gamma     47,630 km    3 km
Delta     48,320 km    6 km
Lambda    50,023 km    2 km
Epsilon   51,149 km   58 km

 

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