Exhibit Codex
Uranus
An ice giant with an extreme axial tilt. Methane contributes to its blue-green appearance.
Open interactive exhibit ↗About this exhibit
Ice giant
Physical profile · seven measurements
- Mean radius
- 25,362 km
- Mass
- 86.8099 ×10²⁴ kg
- Bulk density
- 1.27 g/cm³
- Sidereal rotation
- 0.71833 Earth days · retrograde
- Sidereal orbit
- 84.016846 Earth years
- Equatorial gravity
- 8.87 m/s²
- Escape speed
- 21.38 km/s
Present-day reference values, rounded from JPL Solar System Dynamics. These are not reconstructed ancient measurements. Gas-giant gravity refers to a reference atmospheric level, not solid ground. Sidereal rotation differs from the solar day.
Reference and coverage
Time scaling is shared with the interactive atlas. Surface interpretations and reconstructed history have different levels of certainty.
Planetary record
A tilted world
Uranus rotates almost on its side, producing extreme seasonal illumination. A trip around the Sun takes about 84 Earth years.
An ice giant
The name describes an interior enriched in heavier volatile compounds compared with Jupiter and Saturn. It does not mean that the visible surface is solid ice. Methane absorbs red light, contributing to the pale cyan appearance.
Rings & exploration
Faint rings and many moons surround the planet. Voyager 2 made the only spacecraft flyby in 1986.
Time in this exhibit
4.6 billion years ago · Cloud & disk
The young Sun is surrounded by a disk of gas and dust. Planet formation is underway.
4.54 billion years ago · Young planets
The terrestrial planets are growing through accretion and impacts. Their orbits and surfaces continue to evolve.
Present · Modern system
Eight planets orbit our Sun. This layout compresses distances and adjusts sizes to make every world accessible.
Exhibit guide
Structure
Uranus is an ice giant. Much of its mass is in a hot, dense interior rich in water, ammonia and methane beneath a hydrogen-and-helium atmosphere.
The name describes an interior enriched in heavier volatile compounds compared with Jupiter and Saturn. It does not mean that the visible surface is solid ice. Methane absorbs red light, contributing to the pale cyan appearance.
Atmosphere
Methane absorbs red light and contributes to its blue-green appearance. Cloud activity changes with season and observing conditions.
Orbit & seasons
Its axis is tilted about 98°, so the planet rotates almost on its side. It takes about 84 Earth years to orbit the Sun, producing long seasons.
Uranus rotates almost on its side, producing extreme seasonal illumination. A trip around the Sun takes about 84 Earth years.
Rings & moons
Uranus has dark rings and a family of moons. Its magnetic axis is strongly tilted relative to its rotation axis.
Faint rings and many moons surround the planet. Voyager 2 made the only spacecraft flyby in 1986.
Exploration
Voyager 2 flew past in 1986. Most subsequent observations have come from telescopes, leaving major questions about the interior and atmospheric circulation.
Read the detailed records
Open the full exhibit Codex for individual structure records and time-specific information. The Credits page lists source creators, licenses and adaptations.