Uranus: The Tilted Planet
Explanation:
Uranus is the third largest planet after
Jupiter and
Saturn. This picture was snapped by the
Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1986 - the only
spacecraft ever to visit
Uranus. Uranus
has many moons and a ring system.
Uranus is composed mostly of rock and ices, but
with a thick
hydrogen and
helium atmosphere.
Uranus is
peculiar in that its rotation axis is greatly tilted and
sometimes points near the
Sun. It remains an
astronomical mystery why Uranus' axis is so tilted. Uranus and
Neptune are very similar.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
