Uranus (seembol: ) is the seivent planet frae the Sun. It haes the third-lairgest planetary radius an fowerth-lairgest planetary mass in the Solar Seestem. Uranus is seemilar in composeetion tae Neptune, an baith are o different chemical composeetion than the lairger gas giants Jupiter an Saturn. For this reason, astronomers whiles place them in a separate category cried "ice giants". Uranus's atmosphere, altho seemilar tae Jupiter's an Saturn's in its primary composeetion o hydrogen an helium, contains mair "ices" sic as watter, ammonie, an methane, alang wi traces o hydrocarbons.[1] It is the cauldest planetary atmosphere in the Solar Seestem, wi a minimum temperatur o 49 K (−224.2 °C), an haes a complex, layered clood structur, wi watter thoucht tae mak up the lawest cloods, an methane the uppermost layer o cloods.[1] In contrast, the interior o Uranus is mainly componed o ices an rock.[2]
It is the anly planet whose name is derived frae a figure frae Greek mythology rather than Roman meethology lik the ither planets, frae the Latinized version o the Greek god o the sky, Ouranos. Lik the ither gas giants, Uranus haes a ring seestem, a magnetosphere, an numerous muins. The Uranian seestem heas a unique configuration amang the planets acause its axis o rotation is tiltit sideways, nearly intae the plane o its revolution aboot the Sun. Its north an sooth poles tharefore lie whaur maist ither planets hae thair equators.[3] In 1986, images frae Voyager 2 shawed Uranus as a virtually featurless planet in veesible licht wioot the clood bands or storms associated wi the ither giants.[3] Terrestrial observers hae seen signs o saisonal chynge an increased wather activity in recent years as Uranus approached its equinox. The wind speeds on Uranus can reach 250 meters per seicont (900 km/h, 560 mph).[4]
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The Solar Seestem | |
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Solar Seestem → Local Interstellar Clood → Local Bubble → Gould Belt → Orion Airm → Milky Way → Milky Way subgroup → Local Group → Virgo Supercluster → Pisces–Cetus Supercluster Complex → Observable universe → Universe
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