All throughout history people have looked up at the sky and wondered about distant worlds. In modern times, astrology has been replaced by astronomy, as scientists seek to learn facts about the Universe. The planets that orbit the Sun in our solar system have been the subjects of many scientific studies. Along with the other planets, scientists have sought to learn about Uranus. Uranus facts teach us more about our solar system. Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun, with only Neptune being farther away from the Sun than Uranus. Learning Uranus facts is a great way for kids to get excited about astronomy. When we point a telescope to the sky, we are looking for new discoveries that can tell us about life here on the ground. Discovering Uranus facts can help us discover more facts about life on Earth.

1. URANUS
FACTS

2.  The Name Uranus is Over 2,500 Years Old
The word Uranus comes from Greek Mythology.
Uranus comes from Ouranos, the Greek God of the
sky.
 The Name Uranus Comes from the Same Root
Word as Urine
Another surprising fact is that the word urine actually
comes from the same root word as Uranus.The
origin of Uranus and urine is a very old root word
which was used in Proto-Indo-European.

3.  Uranus Was One of the Last Planets to Be
Found in the 1700’s
When telescopes were invented, and the ability to
see objects in the night sky improved, more Uranus
facts began to emerge. In the late 1700s, European
astronomers in France and England observed
Uranus and began to record their observations and
establish the first Uranus facts.
 William Herschel Discovered Uranus in 1781
Herschel presented the first Uranus facts to the Royal
Society. Herschel noted that the size of Uranus
changed when he adjusted his telescope, whereas
the stars did not change size because they are
much farther away. Herschel also noted that
Uranus did not have the same type of light as stars,
instead appearing hazy in his telescope.

4.  William Herschel First Named the Planet
Uranus as Georgium Sidus
In 1783, Herschel acknowledged to the Royal Society
that it was a planet and was given the privilege of
naming the new planet. Herschel chose the odd
name Georgium Sidusin honor of England’s King
George III who had given Herschel a salary for
discovering the planet.
 The Planet Uranus Was Almost Named Neptune
It’s another of the surprising and fun Uranus facts that
the planet was almost named Neptune. People
outside of Britain did not like the name Georgium
Sidus and a Swedish astronomer proposed the
name Neptune.

5.  Uranus Receives 1/400th the Energy that Earth
Receives from the Sun
Uranus is almost 3 billion kilometers, or more than 1.8
billion miles, from the Sun. Uranus receives less intense
heat and light from the Sun because it is so far away.
Uranus receives roughly 1/400th of the intensity of
energy from the Sun that the Earth does.
 Scientists Speculate Uranus May Have an Ocean of
Liquid Diamond
It’s one of the light Uranus facts that Uranus is one the
Gas Giants, a group of planets that includes Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Uranus is made mostly of
gas and ice. Because they have a lot of ice – and to
further distinguish the planets based on composition –
Uranus and Neptune are also called the Ice Giants,
while Jupiter and Saturn are only ever referred to as
the Gas Giants.

6.  Uranus is over 350 Degrees Below Zero
Uranus is the coldest planet, with the lowest recorded
temperature in the solar system. The temperature of
Uranus is over 350 degrees Fahrenheit below zero or
over 220 degrees Celsius below zero!
 Uranus Has 27 Moons and 11 Rings
Uranus may be cold, and very far from the Sun, but it’s not
alone! Uranus has 27 moons orbiting it. Astronomers
knew that Uranus had rings of material circling the
planet, similarly to Saturn. As early as 1789 Herschel
had documented what he thought might be a ring
around Uranus. Astronomers discovered more rings
over time. In 1986, Voyager 2 discovered two new rings
in its exploration of Uranus, bringing the total number of
known rings to 11