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Description
The Stinger II makes its next stop to Uranus. Ankha is perplexed by the look of the planet.

Ankha: How unusual. It's like Saturn but sideways.

Fox: Probably because Uranus rotates at a nearly 90-degree angle from the plane of its orbit. This unique tilt makes Uranus appear to spin on its side.

Ankha: Unusual. Is it a gas giant?

Krystal: Actually, Uranus is an ice giant. Most of its mass is a hot, dense fluid of "icy" materials – water, methane and ammonia – above a small rocky core.

Ankha: And the atmosphere?

Fox: Uranus has an atmosphere made mostly of molecular hydrogen and atomic helium, with a small amount of methane.

Ankha: It seems to have moons as well.

Krystal: Uranus has 27 known moons, and they are named after characters from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.

Fox: And it's a lifeless planet as we know it.

Ankha: What about the rings?

Krystal: Uranus has 13 known rings. The inner rings are narrow and dark and the outer rings are brightly colored.

Fox: A Fun fact is that like Venus, Uranus rotates east to west. But Uranus is unique in that it rotates on its side.

Krystal: Of course, in pop culture, Uranus is the source of more than a few jokes and witty (and not so witty) puns, but the ice giant and its moons has been a serious destination various fictional stories, and on TV shows such as "Doctor Who." The radioactive element uranium was named after Uranus when it was discovered in 1789, just eight years after the planet was discovered.
Ankha: Wow. What's next?

Fox We will go further out to the next world, Neptune.

Krystal model by :icon CharleyFox: and

Fox McCloud model by

Ankha (c) Nintendo

Description
The Stinger II makes its next stop to Uranus. Ankha is perplexed by the look of the planet.

Ankha: How unusual. It's like Saturn but sideways.

Fox: Probably because Uranus rotates at a nearly 90-degree angle from the plane of its orbit. This unique tilt makes Uranus appear to spin on its side.

Ankha: Unusual. Is it a gas giant?

Krystal: Actually, Uranus is an ice giant. Most of its mass is a hot, dense fluid of "icy" materials – water, methane and ammonia – above a small rocky core.

Ankha: And the atmosphere?

Fox: Uranus has an atmosphere made mostly of molecular hydrogen and atomic helium, with a small amount of methane.

Ankha: It seems to have moons as well.

Krystal: Uranus has 27 known moons, and they are named after characters from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.

Fox: And it's a lifeless planet as we know it.

Ankha: What about the rings?

Krystal: Uranus has 13 known rings. The inner rings are narrow and dark and the outer rings are brightly colored.

Fox: A Fun fact is that like Venus, Uranus rotates east to west. But Uranus is unique in that it rotates on its side.

Krystal: Of course, in pop culture, Uranus is the source of more than a few jokes and witty (and not so witty) puns, but the ice giant and its moons has been a serious destination various fictional stories, and on TV shows such as "Doctor Who." The radioactive element uranium was named after Uranus when it was discovered in 1789, just eight years after the planet was discovered.
Ankha: Wow. What's next?

Fox We will go further out to the next world, Neptune.

Krystal model by :icon CharleyFox: and

Fox McCloud model by

Ankha (c) Nintendo