Uranus

/juˈreɪnəs/

/jʊəˈreɪnəs/

Uranus is one of the eight planets in our solar system. The seventh planet from the sun, Uranus is an ice giant.

Without a telescope, Uranus can only be faintly seen from the darkest locations on Earth. With magnification, you can see that this distant planet is a pale blue-green color. Astronomers have learned over the years that Uranus has 28 known moons and 13 rings, and that it spins on its side. The planet's rocky core is surrounded by a dense mantle of flowing, icy fluids. Uranus was discovered in 1781 and named after the Greek god of the heavens, Ouranos.

Definitions of Uranus

1. noun

   (Greek mythology) god of the heavens; son and husband of Gaea and father of the Titans in ancient mythology
   synonyms: Ouranos

   example of:

   Greek deity

   a deity worshipped by the ancient Greeks
2. noun

   the ice giant that is the seventh planet from the sun and has a blue-green color and many satellites
   “Uranus was discovered by William Herschel in 1781”

   example of:

   Jovian planet, gas giant

   any of the four outermost planets in the solar system; much larger than Earth and gaseous in nature (like Jupiter)

   outer planet

   (astronomy) a major planet whose orbit is outside the asteroid belt (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto)

   superior planet

   any of the planets whose orbit lies outside the earth's orbit