URANUS

Uranus looks bluish green. It is made up mainly of gas like Jupiter and Saturn. It has 11 thin, blackish rings around it, made up of pieces of black ice. These rings were discovered by a space probe, Voyager 2, which flew by Uranus in 1986.

Uranus is named after the Roman god of sky, the father of Saturn. It was the first planet to be sighted with a telescope in 1781. Uranus takes 84 Earth years to travel around the Sun. It rotates on its side and each rotation takes 17 hours and 14 minutes.

Scientist think that something big might knocked Uranus over which is why it rolls along on its side like a wheel. Strong winds blow on the planet. Uranus has 21 moons. The largest one called Titania and is about half the size of Earth's moon. Miranda, another of Uranus' moons, has the most chaotic surface of any moon. Jagged peaks and deep grooves make its surface.