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| Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Uranus is the first planet to have been discovered with the aid of a telescope, by the British astronomer William Herschel in 1781. The atmosphere of Uranus consists of Hydrogen and Helium with traces of methane, ammonia, and water vapor. This image shows about 20 clouds in the tenuous atmosphere of Uranus, some of which circle the planet at more than 300 mph. The rings of Uranus were discovered in 1977 and were first studied in detail by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. Although they appear bright in the image, the rings reflect only about 4% of the sunlight that falls on them, making them about as dark as soot or coal. Many of Uranus' moons are also visible in the image. |
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