Uranus
Uranus is the seventh in terms of distance from the Sun, the third in diameter and the fourth in mass of the planet of the Solar System. It was discovered in 1781 by the English astronomer William Herschel and named after the Greek sky god Uranus. History of the discovery of the planet. Uranus is the first planet that we have learned from the observations of astronomers. British astronomer William Herschel discovered by chance on March 13, The object of his observations were the stars, the brightness of which is very low. However, one star was strikingly different from the rest, changing its position throughout the year. As further studies have shown, the star was in a planetary orbit around the sun.
Uranus is the coldest planet in the solar system; The plane of the equator of Uranus is inclined to the plane of its orbit almost at right angles - that is, the planet rotates retrograde, “lying on its side with its head slightly upside down”; The moons of Uranus are names taken from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope, and not of Greek or Roman mythology; The day on Uranus lasts about 17 Earth hours; There are 13 famous rings around Uranus; One year on Uranus lasts 84 Earth years; Twenty-seven known natural satellites rotate around Uranus
The meaning of the name of the planet Uranus Uranus got its name in honor of the Greek sky deity. This is the only planet that got its name from Greek and not Roman mythology. The choice of the name of the planet was very difficult. In scientific papers, the planet could be called Minevra, Cybele, and even Herschel. The discoverer of the planet himself proposed to call it “Georgium Sidus” in honor of King George III. However, all these ideas were not popular in scientific circles, although the name “Georgium Sidus” was used in England about 70 years after the discovery of the planet. The point in this tangled story was put by the German astronomer Johan Bode, who detailed the orbit of the new planet and gave it the final name - Uranus.