Known Space -- Sol -- | 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 |