Uranus is unique in the solar system for its highly tilted rotation axis, which is nearly parallel to its orbit. The planet essentially rolls around its orbit on its side. The red-orange region near the center of this false-color image marks the planet’s pole. Scientists think a huge collision early in Uranus’ history distorted the planet’s rotation.
Uranus does have a ring system, although it’s not nearly as brilliant as Saturn’s. Earthbound observers see the rings edge-on every 42 years due to changing seasons. Just like Earth reaches an equinox twice each year, when the Sun shines directly over the equator, Uranus’ equator lines up with the Sun (and Earth) twice during each of its 84-year orbits. Scientists with the Hubble Space Telescope snapped images of the system showing how the tilt changes over time. And recently, they’ve discovered fainter rings farther out from the planet.
Planetary scientists have discovered 27 satellites orbiting the ice giant, and have named them all after characters in works by William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. The five largest, listed in order, are Titania, Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel, and Miranda.