Uranus
Uranus Boring?
Uranus Boring?
Uranus Boring?
Uranus, as seen from Earth, is just a tiny turquoise disc. Voyager 2, which had previously revealed unprecedented details of storms and bands on Jupiter and Saturn, saw a large, featureless, turquoise globe when it came to Uranus. Even by turning up the image contrast as high as possible, there was practically nothing to see. Uranus appeared to be, quite disappointingly, the most boring planet we could have imagined.
Why?
Uranus is unique among all the worlds in the Solar System for a special property it possesses: its rotation. Unlike all the other worlds, which rotate at some tilt relative to the plane of the Sun's rotation, Uranus is practically on its side, rolling like a barrel instead of spinning like a top.
When the Voyager 2 spacecraft flew past Uranus in 1986, it was a view of Uranus’s boring solstice time: the side illuminated by the Sun was one of Uranus' polar regions. But as the years and decades ticked by, Uranus moved from solstice towards equinox, when its equatorial region would be illuminated by the Sun instead. Instead of a constant influx of sunlight on one hemisphere, lasting years, there was a rapid day/night shift, coincident with Uranus' rotational period of about 17 hours.
Since Uranus takes 84 Earth years to complete a revolution around the Sun, that means it takes 21 Earth years to go from solstice to equinox. With Voyager 2 flying by it at solstice in 1986, that implied the best time to view it next would be in 2007, when it was at equinox. We didn't have another mission ready to go at that time, but we did have the Hubble Space Telescope.
There are all the features you would have hoped for the first time. There are swirling clouds, storms, and even characteristic atmospheric bands. There are dark spots and light spots, hazes and clear regions, with differential colors at different Uranian latitudes. Instead of a monochrome, featureless world, we at last found the active atmosphere we had expected all along.
The preceding information was extracted from the article, "Why Is Uranus The Only Planet Without Interesting Features on It?" This was published by Forbes in Jan 22, 2019 and written by Ethan Siegel Senior Contributor of StartsWithABang,com.
Uranus Facts
Uranus Boring?
Uranus Boring?
Discovered in 1781, Uranus was the first planet found using a telescope.
There are still plenty of mysteries to solve about the second-most-distant planet in the Solar System. Uranus has an oddly tilted but strong magnetic field, about 50 times the strength of Earth's. The presence of a magnetic field on Uranus was not known until Voyager 2's arrival.
Uranus' magnetic field is peculiar because it does not originate from its geometric center and because it is tilted at 59° from the axis of rotation. (Uranus is the only planet whose equator is nearly at a right angle to its orbit, with a tilt of 97.77 degrees.) The magnetosphere tail behind Uranus extends into space for millions of miles. Its magnetic field lines are twisted by Uranus’ sideways rotation into a long corkscrew shape.
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The dual presence of carbon and hydrogen suggests that, in the lower layers of the atmosphere, the pressure causes a rain of diamonds to fall. Uranus displays a uniform temperature during solstice, but severe temperature differences across its surface during equinoxes, suggesting that something inherent to it is causing a lag between temperatures and the seasons. And the storms we see, also driven by the seasons, are suggestive of a vortex deeper down in the atmosphere than we can see.
Uranus is similar in composition to Neptune, and both have bulk chemical compositions which differ from that of the larger gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. For this reason, scientists often classify Uranus and Neptune as "ice giants" to distinguish them from the other gas giants.
Uranus has the coldest planetary atmosphere in the Solar System, colder than Neptune that is farther from the Sun. It has a complex, layered cloud structure with water thought to make up the lowest clouds and methane the uppermost layer of clouds. The interior of Uranus is mainly composed of ice and rock. Like the other giant planets, Uranus has a ring system, a magnetosphere, and numerous moons.
The Uranian system has a unique configuration because its axis of rotation is tilted sideways. Its north and south poles, therefore, lie where most other planets have their equators. Voyager 2 remains the only spacecraft to visit the planet.
Wind speeds can reach 250 meters per second (900 km/h; 560 mph).
Uranus has 27 known natural satellites (moons).
An Axial Tilt of 97.77
An Axial Tilt of 97.77
An Axial Tilt of 97.77
The Uranian axis of rotation is approximately parallel with the plane of the Solar System, with an axial tilt of 97.77. This gives it seasonal changes completely unlike those of the other planets. Near the solstice, one pole faces the Sun continuously and the other faces away. Only a narrow strip around the equator experiences a rapid day–night cycle when the Sun low over the horizon. At the other side of Uranus' orbit, the orientation of the poles towards the Sun is reversed. Each pole gets around 42 years of continuous sunlight, followed by 42 years of darkness. Near the time of the equinoxes, the Sun faces the equator of Uranus giving a period of day–night cycles similar to those seen on most of the other planets.
One result of this axis orientation is that, averaged over the Uranian year, the polar regions of Uranus receive a greater energy input from the Sun than its equatorial regions. Nevertheless, Uranus is hotter at its equator than at its poles. The underlying mechanism that causes this is unknown. The reason for Uranus' unusual axial tilt is also not known with certainty, but the usual speculation is that during the formation of the Solar System, an Earth-sized protoplanet collided with Uranus, causing the skewed orientation. The tilt may have resulted from a rock larger than the Earth crashing into the planet 3 to 4 billion years ago. Uranus' south pole was pointed almost directly at the Sun at the time of Voyager 2's flyby in 1986.
Voyager's observations revealed that Uranus' magnetic field is peculiar because it does not originate from its geometric center, and because it is tilted at 59° from the axis of rotation. This unusual geometry results in a highly asymmetric magnetosphere.
Uranus is blue green in color, as a result of the methane in its mostly hydrogen-helium atmosphere, since Uranus is associated with electricity, the color electric blue is associated with the sign Aquarius.
Astrologically
An Axial Tilt of 97.77
An Axial Tilt of 97.77
Like the classical planets, Uranus is visible to the naked eye, but it was never recognized as a planet by ancient observers. Was that because of its dimness and slow orbit or because it represents a new level of consciousness?
Uranus was the Sky in Greek mythology, which was thought to be dominated by the combined powers of the Sun and Mars. Though the pattern varies from people to people, the High God usually is conceived as masculine or sexless. He is thought to be the sole creator of heaven and earth. Although he is omnipotent and omniscient, he is thought to have withdrawn from his creation and therefore to be inaccessible to prayer or sacrifice. Generally, no graphic images of him exist, nor does he receive cult worship or appear in the mythology. If he is invoked, it is only in times of extreme distress, but there is no guarantee that he will hear or respond.
He is conceived to be a transcendent principle of divine order; to others he is pictured as senile or impotent and replaced by a set of more active and involved deities; and in still other traditions he has become so remote that he is all but forgotten.
According to Hesiod's Theogony, Uranus was conceived by Gaia alone. Uranus and Gaia were the parents of the first generation of Titans, the three one-hundred-handed giants the Hekatonkheires, the one-eyed giants the Cyclopes. and the ancestors of most of the Greek Olympic Gods,
While Saturn is the planet of limitations, Uranus is the planet that seeks to push past them—it's the inventor in the solar system. . Uranus is about dynamic shattering ideas that will change the status quo. and overthrowing restrictive authority.
Aquarius. the Sign and Constellation
Aquarius is a fixed sign that comes after the winter has begun in Capricorn. It represents the stable, snowy, and cold part of winter, before there is any sign of spring. Aquarius was associated with the destructive floods that the Babylonians regularly experienced, and thus was negatively connoted. In Ancient Egypt astronomy, Aquarius was associated with the annual flood of the Nile; the banks were said to flood when Aquarius put his jar into the river, beginning spring.
The name of this constellation is Latin for “water-carrier” or “cup-carrier” and it is one of the oldest of the recognized constellations along the zodiac. It was mentioned by Ptolemy in 2nd century AD, but prior to that it was recognized as “The Great One”. During the first phase of Mesopotamian religion. starting in the fourth millennium BC, religious domains mainly focused on basic needs for human survival. During the second phase, which occurred in the third millennium BC, the divine hierarchy became more structured.
In the Greek tradition, the constellation came to be represented simply as a single vase from which a stream poured down. Astrologers see it as not water, but light - ambrosia food of gods and/or spirit of societal regeneration. Aquarians tend to care for others and society as a whole. You can usually see them as rebels, fighting power structures, and campaigning against oppression.
Aquarius represents in one way the mercy of the gods. In the same way Ganymede was noticed by deities because of his beauty, Aquarians tend to be beautiful or special in some way. This is a story of the ability to see things from above, reach for the skies in any possible way, and share a divine or special message.
Aquarius myths
The Greeks linked this constellation with Ganymede, the cup bearer to the gods. In ancient Greece it was the social norm for an older man to take a "young boy" (anywhere from 12 to 19) as a lover. Zeus found Ganymede irresistibly beautiful and decided that he wanted him for himself. Zeus transformed himself into the shape of a giant eagle and swooped down grabbing Ganymede in his talons and carried him back to Mount Olympus to be his young lover-servant. Once Ganymede arrived, he had to contend with the wrath of Hera, wife of Zeus. She was annoyed on two counts - firstly, that her husband should have such strong feelings for a mere boy and, secondly, that Ganymede was to occupy the favored position previously held by her own daughter Hebe, goddess of youth. But Zeus was not to be thwarted and Ganymede accompanied the great god on his travels, impressing him with his kindness. This was made manifest when, realizing how in need of water the people on earth were, he pleaded with Zeus to be allowed to help them and was given permission to send down rain. Eventually he was glorified as Aquarius, god of rain, and placed amongst the stars.
The story varies - another version:
Zeus decides that Ganymede will become his personal cup-bearer, basically bringing him drinks whenever he pleases. One day Ganymede had enough, and he decided to pour out all of the wine, ambrosia, and water of the gods, refusing to stay as Zeus's cup bearer any longer. The legend goes that the water all fell to Earth, causing inundating rains for days upon days, which flooded the entire world. At first Zeus wanted to punish Ganymede, but in a rare moment of self-reflection, Zeus realized that he had been a bit unkind to the boy, so he made him immortal as the constellation.
The use of water instead of wine as a sacrifice to the Gods was the primary focus of a king of Athens. Aquarians, a former Christian sect, also used water instead of wine at the Lord's Supper. Astrologers look beyond wine and water to the energy of light.
In Chinese astronomy, the stream of water flowing from the Water Jar was depicted as the Army of Yu-Lin. The name Yu-lin means feathers and forests, referring to the numerous light-footed soldiers from the northern reaches of the empire represented by these faint stars. As a constellation, Aquarius is the 10th largest constellation in our sky. The stream of water consists of more than 20 stars.
The Literary Moons
Uranus pay homage to the famous playwright. Most of the moons orbiting other planets take their names from various mythologies. Uranus' moons are divided into three groups: five major moons, thirteen inner moons, and nine irregular moons. The inner moons are small dark bodies that share common properties and origins with Uranus' rings.
The five major moons are ellipsoidal, indicating that they reached hydrostatic equilibrium at some point in their past (and may still be in equilibrium), and four of them show signs of internally driven processes such as canyon formation and volcanism on their surfaces. The largest of these five, Titania, is 1,578 km in diameter and the eighth-largest moon in the Solar System, about one-twentieth the mass of the Earth's Moon. The orbits of the regular moons are nearly coplanar with Uranus' equator, which is tilted 97.77° to its orbit.
Uranus' irregular moons have elliptical and strongly inclined (mostly retrograde) orbits at large distances from the planet. Between the irregular and large moons is a swarm of eight small satellites (moons) unlike any other system of planetary moons. This region is so crowded that astronomers don't understand how the little moons have managed to avoid crashing into each other. They may be shepherds for the planet's 10 narrow rings. Scientists think there must be still more moons.
Spotting the post-Voyager moons is an impressive feat. They're tiny—as little as 12-16 km (8-10 miles) across, and blacker than asphalt. And of course, they're about 2.9 billion km (1.8 billion miles) away from the Sun.
All of Uranus's inner moons (those observed by Voyager 2) appear to be roughly half water-ice and half rock. Oberon is the outermost major moon, and its orbit lies partially outside Uranus's magnetosphere. The composition of the moons outside the orbit of Oberon remains unknown, but they are likely captured asteroids.
Uranian Trivia
Jupiter Moon Ganymede - 9th Largest Object in our Solar System
On its way inbound for a Dec. 26, 2019 flyby of Jupiter, NASA's Juno spacecraft flew in the proximity of the north pole of the ninth-largest object of the solar system moons, the moon Ganymede. The cause of the light terrain's disrupted geology is not fully known but was likely the result of tectonic activity due to tidal heating.
Larger than the planet Mercury, Ganymede consists primarily of water-ice. Its composition contains fundamental clues for understanding the evolution of the 79 Jovian moons from the time of their formation to today. Ganymede is also the only moon in the solar system with its own magnetic field. Ganymede's magnetic field is probably created by convection within a liquid iron core.
Why did the myth associated with Uranus become the name of a moon of Jupiter?
Uranus - a Primordial god
Uranus was the primordial god of the sky. The Greeks imagined the sky as a solid dome of brass, decorated with stars, whose edges descended to rest upon the outermost limits of the flat earth. Uranus was the literal sky, just as his consort Gaia (Gaea) was the earth. In the Roman era he was often depicted as Aion, god of eternal time, in the form of a man holding the zodiac-wheel, standing above the reclining Gaia (Earth). Astrologers see Saturn's cycles more connected with the Father Time concept and Uranus holding astrology and the zodiac.
Terra and Caelus; Gaia and Uranus
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Tellus Mater or Terra Mater ("Mother Earth") is a goddess of the earth. Tellus and Terra are hardly distinguishable during the Imperial era. The attributes of Tellus were the cornucopia, or bunches of flowers or fruit. Her male complement was a sky god such as Caelus (Uranus) or a form of Jupiter. Her Greek counterpart is Gaia.
Archetypal Keyword
Breaker of boundaries. Creator, Inventor, Change. Individualistic. .
In Brief:
Glyph: The cross of matter is open to both left-brain and right-brain perceptions and is rooted in the spirit of the collective unconscious. This complex glyph indicates rapid, multidimensional intuitive perceptions that we experience as "flashes" and provide us with new insights outside conventional perceptions. It is not unlike the radio or television antenna that brings in signals from afar that stimulate us with new ideas.
Another way to see it is as an upside-down Venus with dual dish receivers.
Uranus does not turn as we do so its energy/action is uniquely individualistic.
Uranus is named after the linage of Gods who consecutively overthrew the prior God/parent/authority. Uranus is about dynamic shattering ideas that will change a restrictive status quo and overthrow restrictive authority.
Aquarius is the zodiac sign associated with Uranus. Currently Earth is in, or entering, the Age of Aquarius.
The 11th house which is associated with Aquarius and Uranus in the astrology chart is the house of collective consciousness. We see it active in groups and organizations.
