Welcome to Uranus!
The sideways planet
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and the third largest planet in the Solar System. It is a cold, blue-green world made mostly from hydrogen, helium and icy materials such as water, ammonia and methane.
Uranus is best known for its unusual tilt. While most planets spin more or less upright, Uranus is tipped over so far that it appears to roll around the Sun on its side.
Uranus quick facts
Position
Seventh planet from the Sun
Planet type
Ice giant
Average distance
2,872,460,000 km
1,784,863,343 milesDiameter
50,724 km
31,518 milesDay length
17 hours, 14 mins
Year length
84 years
Temperature
-195 °C
-320 °F
Moons
Uranus in context
Explore Uranus
Find out more about Uranus by exploring its discovery, strange tilt, moons and most fascinating features.
Discovering Uranus
Find out how William Herschel discovered Uranus and why it was once called George’s Star.
Explore Uranus’s discovery →The Tilted Planet
Learn why Uranus appears to roll around the Sun on its side.
Explore Uranus’s tilt →Moons of Uranus
Meet the moons of Uranus, many of which are named after characters from literature.
Explore Uranus’s moons →List of Uranus's Moons
Compare Uranus’s moons by size, distance, orbit and discovery.
View the moon table →Naming Uranus's Moons
Discover why Uranus’s moons have names from Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.
Explore the moon names →Ten Facts about Uranus
A quick collection of fascinating facts about the Solar System’s sideways ice giant.
Read Uranus facts →
