The Outer Planets: Uranus

Uranus is a distant planet, twice as far from the Sun as Saturn. Before Voyager 2's visit in 1986, little was known about it. The spacecraft took over 4 years to reach Uranus, which is the third largest planet and takes 84 years to orbit the Sun. Uniquely, Uranus appears to lie on its side with an axial tilt of about 90 degrees. Its atmosphere is mainly hydrogen with some methane, giving it a blue color. Like Saturn, Uranus has rings, but they are dark.

How far is Uranus from the Sun compared to Saturn?

• The same distance

• Half as far

• Three times as far

• Twice as far

What significant event in 1986 increased our knowledge about Uranus?

• Discovery of Uranus's moons

• The first human landing on Mars

• Voyager 2's visit to Uranus

• The launch of Hubble Space Telescope

What is unusual about Uranus's rotation?

• It rotates backwards

• It rotates on its side

• It rotates faster than any other planet

• It does not rotate

How long does it take Uranus to orbit the Sun?

• 12 years

• 150 years

• 30 years

• 84 years

What gives Uranus its blue color?

• Oxygen

• Carbon dioxide

• Nitrogen

• Methane