Uranus
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Uranus, much like its sister planet Neptune, is a gas giant. Its equatorial diameter is 51,119 km, with a mass 14.5 times Earth's. Uranus' orbit varies between 18.32 and 20.06 astronomical units and has a retrograde spin. The planet's outer atmospheric layers are predominantly hydrogen and helium, though at higher altitudes methane forms, giving the atmosphere a blue-green color. Federation scientists discovered a rocky core composed primarily or iron and silicon, about the size of Earth.
What makes Uranus of particular interest to scientists and students is its tilted axis, which makes it rotate "sideways" compared to the other planets in the Sol System. Its north and south poles alternately point toward the sun, causing highly exaggerated seasonal changes on the planet. The Michaelson Gravimetric Array orbits Uranus, studying the nature of this phenomenon and the Sol System's orbital plane. Eleven dark, narrow rings surround Uranus.
Reference(s)
- Isaacs, Ross A., et al. A Cadet's Guide to Sector 001, New York: Last Unicorn Games, 1999.