Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and one of the most unique worlds in our solar system. Known for its beautiful pale blue-green color, Uranus gets its hue from methane gas in its atmosphere, which absorbs red light and reflects blue and green wavelengths. Unlike the other planets, Uranus spins on its side—its axis is tilted at about 98 degrees—meaning it essentially rolls around the Sun like a barrel, leading to extreme seasonal changes that last over 20 years each!

Uranus is classified as an “ice giant” because, in addition to hydrogen and helium, it contains a large amount of “ices” such as water, ammonia, and methane in its interior. It’s much colder than the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, with temperatures dropping to nearly -224°C (-371°F), making it one of the coldest planets in the solar system. The planet has a faint ring system and at least 27 known moons, each named after characters from the works of Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.

Exploration of Uranus has been limited so far—the only spacecraft to visit was NASA’s Voyager 2 in 1986, which revealed much about its atmosphere, magnetic field, rings, and moons. Despite being far from the Sun and difficult to study, Uranus holds many mysteries about planetary formation and the dynamics of ice giants. Its unusual tilt, chilly atmosphere, and distant, dimly lit environment make Uranus a fascinating and enigmatic planet in the outer reaches of our cosmic neighborhood.