Planets
Uranus
[Apr 15, 2007] Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and the third largest (by diameter). Uranus is larger in diameter but smaller in mass than Neptune. orbit: 2,870,990,000 km (19.218 AU) from Sun diameter: 51,118 km (equatorial) mass: 8.683e25 kg Hardcopy The New Solar System Summarizes what we've learned from interplanetary explorations in the last 25 years. My primary reference for The Nine Planets. The Compact NASA Atlas of the Solar System This 'road map' of the solar system is the definitive guide for planetary science. The Tempest by William Shakespeare The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope Careful pronunciation may be necessary to avoid embarrassment; say "YOOR a nus" , not "your anus" or "urine us". Uranus is the ancient Greek deity of the Heavens, the earliest supreme god. Uranus was the son and mate of Gaia the father of Cronus (Saturn) and of the Cyclopes and Titans (predecessors of the Olympian gods). Uranus, the first planet discovered in modern times, was discovered by William Herschel while systematically searching the sky with his telescope on March 13, 1781. It had actually been seen many times before but ignored as simply another star (the earliest recorded sighting was in 1690 when John Flamsteed cataloged it as 34 Tauri). Herschel named it "the Georgium Sidus" (the Georgian Planet) in honor of his patron, the infamous (to Americans) King George III of England; others called it "Herschel".