Uranus

Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun and the third-largest planet in the solar system. The blue-green gas giant has the coldest atmosphere of all the planets in the solar system. Uranus is the only planet in the solar system that orbits the sun on its side, and this extreme tilt is responsible for turning the planet's magnetic fields into a jumbled mess. So far only NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft has studied the planet up close during a flyby in 1986, but researchers are still studying the planet with telescopes on and around Earth.

Latest Updates

Illustration of the night sky on Nov. 8 showing the close proximity of the moon and Uranus.

See the moon meet Uranus in lunar occultation tonight (Nov. 8)

By Robert Lea last updated

The lunar occultation of Uranus on Tuesday (Nov. 8) will give skywatchers a good guide to finding the distant and dim ice giant planet Uranus.

half-illuminated grey body with deep lines scoring surface

Uranus moons beckon to plans for a NASA orbiter mission to the sideways world

By Meghan Bartels published

Uranus is a strange world, knocked on its side and with a lopsided magnetic field. Its moons may be even stranger.

blue planet with purple spot surrounded by ring

Mysterious dust ring around Uranus spotted in rediscovered Voyager 2 data

By Meghan Bartels published

Scientists have uncovered a new mystery about Uranus' rings buried deep in data from NASA's iconic Voyager 2 mission.

Bright Moon Approaches Uranus (late night)

Watch the moon pass in front of Uranus early Wednesday (Oct. 12)

By Robert Lea published

The lunar occultation of Uranus on Wednesday (Oct. 12) won't be visible from all areas of the planet, but the moon will give skywatchers a good guide to finding the distant planet.

Silhouette of an airplane flying across the surface of the full moon.

October full moon 2022 guide: The Hunters' Moon rises this weekend

By Jesse Emspak published

October's full moon — the Hunter's Moon — becomes full on Oct. 9, the same day that Mercury reaches its highest altitude in the predawn sky.

blue planet with purple splotch and a nearly vertical ring around it

Uranus' weird tilt may be the work of a long-lost moon

By Paul Sutter published

Uranus is just plain weird, and one of the weirdest things about it is its tilt.

An illustration of Jupiter surrounded by some of its 69 moons.

China wants to probe Uranus and Jupiter with 2 spacecraft on one rocket

By Andrew Jones published

China is planning an ambitious two-for-one shot to the outer planets with a pair of spacecraft to launch for Jupiter and Uranus around 2030.

September 14 - The Moon near Uranus

You can see the moon eclipse Uranus tonight (Sept. 14) in a rare occultation

By Robert Lea published

Skywatchers can watch as the moon blocks Uranus from view on Wednesday, Sept. 14 in an event called a lunar occultation.

uranus full disc in baby blue

What would you name a Uranus probe? The internet's answers are about what you'd think

By Elizabeth Howell published

Thriller films, Antarctic explorers and female science pioneers featured in an informal naming contest seeking a moniker for a proposed Uranus spacecraft mission.

An illustration of diamond rain inside an ice giant planet.

Diamond rains could fall through the interior of ice giant planets

By Robert Lea published

The interiors of the solar system's ice giants, Neptune and Uranus, could experience an exotic form of precipitation, and these 'diamond rains' could be more common than previously thought.

An image of Uranus taken by Voyager 2 on Jan. 14, 1986.

NASA really wants to probe Uranus and could start planning next year

By Stefanie Waldek published

Dr. Lori Glaze of NASA's Planetary Science Division offered updates about the potential mission at a virtual town hall.

An illustration of the night sky on Aug. 24

Uranus will reverse its path in the sky on Wednesday (Aug 24). Here's how to see it

By Samantha Mathewson published

Uranus will reverse its eastward movement Wednesday (Aug. 24) and begin its westward path across the night sky.

An artist's depiction of one of the twin Voyager spacecraft exploring interstellar space.

Celebrate NASA's Voyager missions at 45 with this free webcast tonight

By Tariq Malik published

The Voyager missions are icons of cosmic exploration, and you can celebrate their 45th anniversary with a free webcast tonight (Aug. 18).

An image showing the night sky on Aug. 17 including Uranus in close visual proximity to the moon.

See the moon hop over Uranus in the night sky on Aug. 18

By Samantha Mathewson last updated

Watch the moon as it appears to "hop" over Uranus in the afternoon sky tomorrow (Aug. 18).

The Virtual Telescope Project will livestream views of the Mars-Uranus conjunction on Aug. 1, 2022, at 9 p.m. EDT (0100 GMT on Aug. 2).

Watch Mars and Uranus meet up in night-sky webcast tonight

By Mike Wall published

Mars and Uranus are night-sky neighbors at the moment, and you can get good views of their unusual meetup online tonight (Aug. 1).

Starry Night graphic showing the location of Mars and Uranus in the night sky.

Use Mars to spot elusive Uranus on Sunday

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Mars will begin to approach Uranus early Sunday morning (July 31). The pair will be close enough to share the same field of view as seen through binoculars.

Starry Night graphic showing the location of the moon and Uranus in the night sky. A green circle surrounds them, it illustrates the view captured with a pair of binoculars.

Catch the moon pointing at Uranus on Friday

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Early Friday morning the moon will be conveniently placed to guide you to Uranus. The pair will be close enough to share the same field of view in a pair of binoculars.

A composite image of Uranus (left) and Neptune based on Hubble Space Telescope observations.

James Webb Space Telescope will heat up studies of our solar system's 'ice giants'

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has a blue-eyed special among its solar system observations.

Sky map of the locations of Venus and Uranus on June 11, 2022.

Spot Uranus near Venus in the predawn sky on Sunday

By Tariq Malik published

The brilliant planet Venus will shine near Uranus before sunrise early Sunday (June 12). Here's how to see them.

This image of the planet Uranus was taken by the spacecraft Voyager 2 in 1986.

Shades of Uranus: Scientists know why the planet and Neptune are different hues of blue

By Elizabeth Howell last updated

The way each planet's atmosphere responds to methane might be responsible for the different hues of Uranus and Neptune.