From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
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Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun; it is the third largest and fourth most massive planet in the solar system. Uranus was the first planet discovered in modern times. Though it is visible to the naked eye like the five classical planets, it was never recognised as a planet by ancient observers due to its dimness. Sir William Herschel announced its discovery on March 13, 1781, expanding the known boundaries of the solar system. Uranus' atmosphere, although similar to Jupiter and Saturn in being composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, contains a higher proportion of "ices" such as water, ammonia and methane, along with the usual traces of hydrocarbons. It has the coldest planetary atmosphere in the solar system, with a minimum temperature of 49 K, and has a complex layered cloud structure in which water is thought to make up the lowest clouds, while methane makes up the uppermost layer of clouds. In 1986, images from the Voyager 2 space probe showed Uranus as a virtually featureless planet in visible light without the cloud bands or storms associated with the other giants. The wind speeds on Uranus can reach 250 m/s (560 mph).
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The climate of Uranus is heavily influenced by both its lack of internal heat, which limits atmospheric activity, and by its extreme axial tilt, which induces intense seasonal variation. Uranus' atmosphere is remarkably bland in comparison to the other gas giants which it otherwise closely resembles. When Voyager 2 flew by Uranus in 1986, it observed a total of ten cloud features across the entire planet. Later observations from the ground or by the Hubble Space Telescope made in the 1990s and the 2000s revealed bright clouds in the northern (winter) hemisphere of the planet. In 2006 a dark spot similar to the Great Dark Spot on Neptune was detected.
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Gerard Peter Kuiper ( ; Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkœypər]; born Gerrit Pieter Kuiper December 7, 1905, Harenkarspel ( Tuitjenhorn), Netherlands – December 24, 1973, Mexico City) was a Dutch astronomer who became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Kuiper discovered two natural satellites of planets in the solar system, namely Uranus's satellite Miranda and Neptune's satellite Nereid. In addition, he discovered carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Mars and the existence of a methane-laced atmosphere above Saturn's satellite Titan in 1944.
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Uranus Atmosphere ˑ Climate ˑ Exploration (Voyager 2) ˑ Rings
- Moons (Portia ˑ Puck ˑ Miranda ˑ Ariel ˑ Umbriel ˑ Titania ˑ Oberon ˑ Caliban ˑ Sycorax)
Astronomers: William Herschel ˑ William Lassell ˑ Gerard Kuiper ˑ James L. Elliot
See Also: Formation and evolution of the Solar System ˑ Gas Giant ˑ Nebular hypothesis
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A false color image of Uranus obtained by Voyager 2 spacecraft in January 2006.
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