Stargazing with Pat J: The Ice giants – Uranus and Neptune

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Similar to Jupiter and Saturn, Uranus and Neptune’s atmospheres consist of hydrogen and helium, but the bulk of each planet is a frozen slush of water, methane, and ammonia, hence their nickname ‘ice giants.’

Uranus

  • Seventh planet from the Sun
  • If the Sun is at a football field’s goal post and Earth is on the 2-yard line, Uranus is at the 38-yard line
  • Third largest planet, 63 Earths could fit inside
  • Rotates on its axis in 17 hours. Takes 84 years to orbit the Sun
  • Takes sunlight 2.5 hours to get there
  • Lacks a hard surface. Despite being closer to the Sun than Neptune, Uranus is the coldest planet in the solar system at -224 degrees Celsius
  • Has 27 moons and thirteen rings
  • Very stormy atmosphere with wind speeds over 900 km/hr
  • Early in life, a collision with an Earth sized object left it with a tilt of almost 90 degrees; meaning Uranus is literally lying on its side. As a result, summer on Uranus is 21 years of sunshine while winter is 21 years of darkness

Neptune

  • Eighth planet and furthest from the Sun
  • If the Sun is at a football field’s goal post and Earth is on the 2-yard line, Neptune is at the opposing team’s 50-yard line
  • Fourth largest planet, 57 Earths could fit inside
  • Rotates on its axis in 15 hours. Takes 165 years to orbit the Sun
  • Takes sunlight four hours to get there
  • Lacks a hard surface. Mean temperature: -200 degrees Celsius
  • Has 14 moons and five very faint rings
  • Stormiest atmosphere in the solar system with wind speeds over 2000 km/hr
  • 8,000 km below the surface of both Uranus and Neptune, hydrogen and carbon are squeezed together under incredible pressure. The result is rain, not of water droplets, but of diamonds!