Uranus is sixth in the solar system in order of distance from the sun and third in diameter. Uranus has a diameter of 51,120 km, and its mean distance from the sun is 2.87 billion km. Uranus takes 84 years for a single revolution, or orbit, and 17 hr 15 min for a complete rotation about its axis. Uranus's atmosphere consists largely of hydrogen and helium, with a trace of methane. Through a telescope the planet appears as a small, bluish-green disk with a faint green periphery. Compared to the earth, Uranus has a mass 14.5 times greater, a volume 67 times greater, and a gravity 1.17 times greater. Uranus's magnetic field, however, is only a tenth as strong as earth's, with an axis tilted 55° from the rotational axis. The density of Uranus is approximately 1.2 times that of water.

Characterstics of Uranus: