The route / Uranus
Sector 5 · Planet
Uranus
The ice giant that spins tipped on its side, rings and all.
Uranus is tilted by about 98 degrees, so it rolls around the Sun on its side. Each pole gets around 42 years of continuous sunlight followed by 42 years of darkness.
It was the first planet discovered with a telescope, by William Herschel in 1781. Its blue-green colour comes from methane in its atmosphere, which absorbs red light. It also has a set of thin, dark rings.
Key facts
- Distance from the Sun
- About 19 times Earth's
- Diameter
- About 51,000 km
- Axial tilt
- About 98 degrees
- Discovered
- 1781, by William Herschel
Uranus in Comet Courier
In the Uranus sector the pale blue-green planet hangs on its side with its rings standing almost upright. The Sun behind you has shrunk to a bright dot, a reminder of how far you have come.