What Is Uranus Mostly Made Of?
Uranus is the 7th planet from the sun. The gas giant was discovered by the British astronomer, Sir William Herschel, in 1871. Like Saturn, Uranus is surrounded by rings as well as its many orbiting moons.
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Surface
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Uranus is far from the sun, residing in the cold outer reaches of the solar system. It is a giant ball of gas, ice and liquid. According to Nasa.gov, scientists believe the surface of Uranus is composed of methane gas.
Interior
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According to the Monterey Institute for Research Astronomy, scientists believe that the interior of Uranus is a core of rock and ice, surrounded by a core of water ice and rock. It is believed that these cores are surrounded by liquid hydrogen and then enveloped by gaseous hydrogen, helium, methane, ammonia and water.
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Mass
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Mira.org states that Uranus has volume 67 times greater than Earth and a gravity of 1.17; however, its magnetic field is only a tenth as strong as Earth's.
Atmosphere
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The atmosphere of Uranus is comprised of mostly hydrogen, helium and methane. The blue color of the planet is due to the absorption of red light by the methane. Ice forms in the atmosphere due to the increasing barometric pressure transforming methane gas into ice.
Significance
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Uranus is known as the tilted planet since it rotates on its side. Uranus rotates on its axis in the opposite direction of Earth.
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- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Kabsik Park
