Uranus
Earth
Diameterkm
50,724
12,742
Mass (Earth = 1)x
14.54
1.00
Surface Gravitym/s²
8.87
9.81
Mean Temperature°C
-220
+15
Distance from SunAU
19.19
1.00
Orbital Perioddays
30,589
365.25
Day Lengthhours
17.24
24.00
Known Moons
28
1
Axial Tilt°
97.77
23.44
Orbital Velocitykm/s
6.80
29.78
Quick Facts
Uranus
- -Uranus rotates on its side with an axial tilt of 97.77°, likely caused by a massive ancient collision.
- -Uranus was the first planet discovered with a telescope, found by William Herschel in 1781.
- -All 28 of Uranus's moons are named after characters from Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.
- -Uranus's blue-green color comes from methane in its atmosphere absorbing red light.
Earth
- -Earth is the only planet not named after a Greek or Roman deity.
- -Earth's rotation is gradually slowing -- days are getting about 1.4 milliseconds longer per century.
- -About 71% of Earth's surface is covered by water, but 96.5% of that water is in the oceans.
- -Earth's magnetic field has flipped its polarity hundreds of times over millions of years.