Planet · Ice giant

Uranus

Type: Ice giant
Diameter: 51,118 km
Distance from Sun: 2,872.5 M km
Surface gravity: 8.7 m/s²
Mean temp.: -195 °C
Moons: 27

NASA/JPL · NASA media (public domain)

Overview

Scientific overview

Uranus is a ice giant in orbit around The Sun, at a mean distance of 2,872.5 million km from the Sun.

Physical characteristics

Mass: 86.8 ×10²⁴ kg
Diameter: 51,118 km
Radius: 25,559 km
Density: 1.271 g/cm³
Surface gravity: 8.7 m/s²
Escape velocity: 21.3 km/s
Rotation period: 17.2 h (retrograde)
Mean temperature: -195 °C

Scale

Compared to Earth

Earth

Uranus

Uranus is 4.0× Earth

51,118 km across · Earth is 12,742 km

Orbit

Distance from Sun: 2,872.5 million km (19.201 AU)
Orbital period: 83.75 years
Perihelion: 2,741.3 million km
Aphelion: 3,003.6 million km
Eccentricity: 0.046
Orbital inclination: 0.8°
Axial tilt: 97.8°
Orbital velocity: 6.8 km/s

Gallery

Uranus Atmosphere
Processing brings out Uranus atmosphere in this image taken by NASA Voyager 2.
1999
NASA/JPL · NASA media (public domain)
Source archive ↗

Observation

How this was captured

Source: NASA
Observation date: 1999-01-08

Moons (5)

Exploration

Voyager 2

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.

Quick facts

Type: Ice giant
System: The Sun
Moons: 27
Ring system: Yes

Provenance & sources

review 2026.1

Asteria Scientific Review Process · verification: sourced · accurate

High evidenceconfirmed
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun, an ice giant that rotates on its side with an axial tilt of about 98 degrees.
Source: NASA (NSSDCA) — NASA Planetary Fact Sheet · Public domain (US Government work)
- NASA Planetary Fact Sheet, Planetary Fact Sheet

Reviewed by the internal Asteria Scientific Review Process — not an external institutional review. See the evidence framework and authority dashboard.

Scientific citations

Real, source-backed references — primary papers first, then datasets and institutional sources. Formatted through the citation engine; nothing is fabricated.

DatasetApproximate Positions of the Planets

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Caltech)

Cite (APA / BibTeX)

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Caltech) (n.d.). Approximate Positions of the Planets. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Caltech). https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/approx_pos.html

@misc{cite:jpl-approx-positions,
  title        = {Approximate Positions of the Planets},
  organization = {NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Caltech)},
  year         = {n.d.},
  url          = {https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/approx_pos.html},
  note         = {Public-domain Keplerian orbital elements and rates (Standish) — the method behind the computed planet positions, rise/set, and visibility.}
}

DatasetUranus Fact Sheet

NASA Goddard — NSSDCA

Cite (APA / BibTeX)

NASA Goddard — NSSDCA (n.d.). Uranus Fact Sheet. NASA Goddard — NSSDCA. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/uranusfact.html

@misc{cite:factsheet-planet-uranus,
  title        = {Uranus Fact Sheet},
  organization = {NASA Goddard — NSSDCA},
  year         = {n.d.},
  url          = {https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/uranusfact.html},
  note         = {Physical and orbital parameters for Uranus.}
}

Institutional pageUranus — NASA Solar System Exploration

NASA

Cite (APA / BibTeX)

NASA (n.d.). Uranus — NASA Solar System Exploration. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/

@misc{cite:nasa-planet-uranus,
  title        = {Uranus — NASA Solar System Exploration},
  organization = {NASA},
  year         = {n.d.},
  url          = {https://science.nasa.gov/},
  note         = {NASA overview of Uranus.}
}

Quality & authority

Complete

Reviewed

Description: Complete
Source coverage: Complete
Relationship coverage: Complete
Review coverage: Complete
Citation coverage: Complete
Image coverage: Complete

Data from the NASA Planetary Fact Sheet & JPL (public domain). See source quality.

Uranus

Scientific overview

Physical characteristics

Compared to Earth

Orbit

Gallery

How this was captured

Moons (5)

Titania

Oberon

Umbriel

Ariel

Miranda

Exploration

Voyager 2

Sources