- Planet Name: Uranus
- Type of Planet: Ice Giant
- Solar System Region: Outer Solar System
- Distance from the Sun: 1,708,770,778 miles (perihelion) to 1,864,113,576 miles (aphelion)
- Time to Orbit Around the Sun: About 30,668 Earth days
- Moons (natural satellites): 27
- Total Surface Area: 3,133,400,000 square miles
21 Uranus Facts for Kids
- The planet Uranus formed about 4.5 billion years ago.
- The planet Uranus was first observed via a telescope on March 13th, 1781, by William Herschel.
- Uranus was the first planet to be discovered with the aid of a telescope.
- The planet Uranus is the seventh most distance planet from the Sun.
- Uranus is in the outer part of our Solar System.
- Uranus is an Ice Giant planet.
- Uranus is the third largest planet in our Solar System.
- Uranus is 400% the size of Earth.
- The radius of Uranus is 15,759 miles.
- Uranus’s perihelion (closest) distance to the Sun is 1.70 billion miles.
- Uranus’s aphelion (farthest) distance to the Sun is 1.86 billion miles.
- It takes Uranus 30,668 Earth days to complete an orbit around the Sun.
- Uranus has 27 known moons (natural satellites).
- The five major moons of Uranus are Ariel, Miranda, Oberon, Titania, and Umbriel.
- All the moons orbiting Uranus were named after characters from works created by Alexander Pope and William Shakespeare.
- The planet Uranus has 13 rings.
- Because Uranus is an ice giant, it’s virtually impossible for life to evolve as we know it.
- Uranus is the coldest planet in our Solar System, with temperatures as low as -370° Fahrenheit.
- In 1986, NASA’s Voyager 2 is the first and only spacecraft to visit the planet Uranus.
- Uranus has wind speeds that can exceed 560 miles per hour.
- Uranus rotates from east to west, however its rotation is unique in our Solar System because it rotates on its side.
Pictures of the Planet Uranus
A photo of Uranus taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft on 1-14-1986.Credit: NASA
A photo of Uranus taken by the NASA Hubble Space Telescope.Credit: NASA
An enhanced photo of Uranus to help show its atmosphere.Credit: NASA
Additional Resources on the Planet …
- Overview | Uranus – NASA Solar System Exploration – An excellent overview of the planet Uranus from NASA Solar System Exploration.
- Uranus – Wikipedia – Discover more interesting facts about Uranus on the Wikipedia website.
- images of Uranus – JPL Photojournal – View more stunning photos of the planet Uranus.