Uranus
Location in Planet Walk: The Spinnaker Tower, Gunwharf Quays
by Zoe Stocks, Y6, Orchard Lea Junior School
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun, and it takes over 84 Earth years to complete one orbit. It was the first planet discovered by telescope (by William Herschel in 1781).
Uranus is unique in the Solar System because its axis of rotation is tilted sideways, into the plane of its revolution around the Sun. As a result, half of the planet gets 42 years of continuous day, followed by 42 years of continuous darkness.
Uranus has the coldest atmosphere in the Solar System, reaching down to -224°C. The surface of Uranus is notoriously featureless, as can be seen in this image taken by the spacecraft Voyager 2.
Voyager 2/NASA
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