How Far is Uranus from Earth?
Orbit of Uranus. Image credit: IFA
[/caption]
Let’s see how far away Uranus is from the Earth. First consider the fact that both Earth and Uranus are orbiting the Sun. This means that the distance between them can change, depending on their relatively positions in the Solar System.
The closest Uranus can get to Earth is 2.57 billion km.
Imagine Earth, Uranus and the Sun are all in straight line. When Uranus is at its closest point to Earth, the three objects are lined up with the Sun, Earth and Uranus. This is when Uranus is a mere 2.57 billion km. But Earth and Uranus are located on opposite sides of the Sun, they’re at their most distant point. When this happens, they’re 3.15 billion km.
What about the other planets? Here’s how far away Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are from Earth.
If you’d like more info on Uranus, check out Hubblesite’s News Releases about Uranus. And here’s a link to the NASA’s Solar System Exploration Guide to Uranus.
We have recorded an episode of Astronomy Cast just about Uranus. You can access it here: Episode 62: Uranus.
Recent Posts
Where’s the Most Promising Place to Find Martian Life?
New research suggests that our best hopes for finding existing life on Mars isn’t on…
Can Entangled Particles Communicate Faster than Light?
Entanglement is perhaps one of the most confusing aspects of quantum mechanics. On its surface,…
IceCube Just Spent 10 Years Searching for Dark Matter
Neutrinos are tricky little blighters that are hard to observe. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory in…
Star Devouring Black Hole Spotted by Astronomers
A team of astronomers have detected a surprisingly fast and bright burst of energy from…
What Makes Brown Dwarfs So Weird?
Meet the brown dwarf: bigger than a planet, and smaller than a star. A category…
Archaeology On Mars: Preserving Artifacts of Our Expansion Into the Solar System
In 1971, the Soviet Mars 3 lander became the first spacecraft to land on Mars,…