Mr. Beehler
Earth and Space, Period:2
9/29/17
Uranus
Uranus, also referred as an “Ice Giant,” is one of the planets with the most unique characteristics and qualities. It was discovered by an astronomer in 1781 called William Herschel with the help of a telescope and was recognized and accepted as a planet by Johann Elert Bode. According to solarsystem.nasa.gov, Uranus was named after the Greek god of the sky.” Being the seventh planet from the sun where its cold and windy and is four times as wide as earth having a radius of 15,759.2 miles. This planet also has a very unique tilt of 97.77 degrees, making it seem to rotate on its side while orbiting around the sun. Therefore, making life on the planet impossible, because this unique tilt causes the harshest seasons in the solar system, making the sun directly shine over the poles while the other side remains in complete darkness for 21 years. Uranus is one of two planets that also features an opposite rotation and each rotation last approximately 17 hours and takes 84 years to orbit a once. Uranus surface is made up of mainly Hydrogen and helium, with a …show more content…
Due to its icy mantle that wraps its iron core and rocks. With the lowest surface being -224 degrees making it the coldest out of all the other planets. Uranus also has a high amount of wind that which according to Theplanets.org “wind speeds can reach up to 900 kilometers per hour.” It also features hydrogen and helium in its upper layer, has a lot more ice, and is generally is constant across the globe even on the side where the sun doesn’t shine for years. In addition, according to Theplanets.org “The mass of Uranus is about 14.5 times the mass of earth, making it the lightest of the four gas giants in the atmosphere.” These extreme temperatures and pressures are what define this planet the most and very unlikely for an organism to adapt and survive, meaning there couldn’t be any life in