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Questions tagged [uranus]

Questions regarding Uranus, the 7th planet from Earth's sun.

28 votes
3 answers
2k views

What is the accepted theory as to why Uranus' axis is tilted so severely?

The planet Uranus is another solar system anomaly, where according to the NASA profile has an axial tilt of 97.8 degrees, also considered to be retrograde. This NASA summary "Uranus" suggests the ...
user avatar
13 votes
4 answers
4k views

Could Neptune be viewed with the naked eye from Uranus?

Which star or planet in our night sky can match what Neptune would look like when viewed from Uranus, or one of its moons? The answer would be for the most favourable condition, which is when Neptune ...
Constantthin's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
2k views

Is Uranus the farthest object in Solar System that you can see with naked eyes?

The following text is from this article: The fact is, even at its brightest, Uranus is still quite faint. It’s barely perceptible as a dim speck of light to the unaided eye, even under dark skies. At ...
Nilay Ghosh's user avatar
  • 4,733
6 votes
0 answers
170 views

Are there any planetary ring system other than "Phoebe ring" not aligned to the equatorial plane?

Continuation of: Is it possible for planetary rings to be perpendicular (or near perpendicular) to the planet's orbit around the host star? The answers discussed about Uranian ring system and how ...
Nilay Ghosh's user avatar
  • 4,733
4 votes
1 answer
563 views

Uranus' axis of rotation-when discovered?

Who discovered it, and how was that accomplished. I had assumed it was known before Voyager 2 arrived at the planet since it isn't mentioned in JPL voyager 2 Uranus Approach
Bob516's user avatar
  • 1,489
24 votes
4 answers
4k views

Why is Neptune a darker blue than Uranus?

If Neptune and Uranus have similar composition then why is Neptune a darker blue than Uranus?
sno's user avatar
  • 1,464
23 votes
5 answers
8k views

Why is Uranus called a "green planet"?

Uranus is called a green planet, although it appears blue in many of the photographs including those taken by spacecraft, like Voyager 2, Hubble, and JWST. NASA's Uranus page mentions it to be bluish-...
Dhruv Nayak's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
410 views

If the axial tilt of Uranus (97°) was caused by a giant impact, then why do its moons orbit around its equator at the same tilt (≈97°)?

So the most accepted explanation for Uranus' axial tilt is that it once had a normal tilt like the other planets bar Venus (0° to 30°), but then a certain massive object collided with it and flipped ...
user177107's user avatar
  • 2,699
10 votes
1 answer
3k views

Why do Uranus and Neptune have more methane than Jupiter and Saturn?

So the standard theory of the solar nebula is that in the region of the gas planets, ice and rock could condense to form planetesimals, which could then accrete hydrogen and helium to form the gas ...
cduston's user avatar
  • 255
9 votes
1 answer
320 views

What are the current accepted theories of the formation of the Uranian moon Miranda?

Miranda, a moon of Uranus is unique in that it has a very fractured surface Source: University of Oregon The surface is said to be jagged and fractured, with comparatively large disjointed cliffs ...
user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
212 views

What is the underlying nature of the dark spot found on Uranus?

What is the nature of bright spots found on Uranus? actually quotes Space.com's Uranus Has a Dark Spot which says: During the past decade, many bright spots have been seen on Uranus in both red and ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 30.7k
7 votes
1 answer
768 views

Why was Neptune rather than Uranus chosen as an archetype?

The largest exoplanets are typically called Jupiter-like planets, or hot/cold Jupiters. Since Jupiter is the largest most massive planet in our Solar system, it makes sense that it would be chosen as ...
usernumber's user avatar
  • 17.6k
7 votes
1 answer
185 views

What is the nature of bright spots found on Uranus?

The following text is from space.com which was written during the time of discovery of the first dark spot on Uranus: During the past decade, many bright spots have been seen on Uranus in both red ...
Nilay Ghosh's user avatar
  • 4,733
6 votes
2 answers
6k views

Why are gas giants colored the way they are?

As I understand it, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are all made primarily from varying proportions of hydrogen and helium. Despite this, Jupiter is very red, Saturn is yellow, and Uranus and ...
NeutronStar's user avatar
  • 2,673
5 votes
1 answer
360 views

Aren't there any rock or similar firm material on/in the gas giant planets?

Aren't there any rock or similar firm material on/in the gas giant planets? What happens if a rock asteroid hits one of these planets? Shouldn't the rock accumulate in the center of the planet due to ...
d-b's user avatar
  • 349

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