Uranus was named after the Greek god of the heavens. It wasn’t discovered until 1781, after the development of the telescope.

Uranus is a giant ball of gas about four times the size of Earth and is seventh in line from the Sun. It is the only planet to spin on its side, which means it rolls around in its orbit and has very strange days and seasons. Sometimes the north pole of Uranus points to the Sun and sometimes the south pole does.

Its surface is pale blue, mainly because of the high methane content of its gases, and it is mostly featureless.

Average distance from the Sun:     2,875,000,000km 
                                                   (1,786,000,000miles)

Length of year:                             84 Earth years

Diameter:                                     51,118km (31,765 miles)

Average temperature:                   -353°F (-214°C)