Under favorable observing conditions, Uranus can be seen even with a small telescope as a blue-green disk with no discernible structure. The gas giant has a diameter of 51,000 kilometers and rotates around its axis in 17 hours and 14 minutes; unlike all other planets, its axis of rotation lies in the plane of its orbit.
Furthermore, the direction of its rotation is opposite to the direction of its orbital motion. As with all other gas giants, Uranus rotates faster at the equator than at the poles. It takes Uranus 84 Earth years to orbit the Sun—almost three times as long as Saturn, which is much closer to the Sun.
In its methane-rich hydrogen-helium atmosphere, where temperatures reach minus 197°C, violent storms rage at speeds of up to 700 kilometers per hour. As of today (2026), we know of 29 moons of Uranus. The four largest of these have diameters ranging from 1,578 kilometers (Titania) to 1,158 kilometers (Ariel).
