Uranus
The seventh planet from the Sun, named after Ouranos, the primordial Greek god of the sky and the earliest supreme deity in the mythological genealogy
The Meaning of Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun, discovered in 1781 by William Herschel — the first planet found using a telescope. Herschel initially wanted to name it Georgium Sidus after King George III, but the German astronomer Johann Elert Bode proposed Uranus, after the primordial Greek god of the sky, to maintain the mythological naming convention established by the other planets. In Greek mythology, Ouranos was the personification of the sky itself, born from Gaia (Earth) and becoming her consort. Together they produced the twelve Titans, the three Cyclopes, and the three Hundred-Handed Ones. Ouranos was a tyrannical father who imprisoned his monstrous children within the body of Gaia, causing her great pain. She fashioned an adamantine sickle and gave it to her youngest son Kronos, who castrated his father as he descended to embrace the earth. From the blood that fell, the Giants and the Erinyes were born, and from the severed parts cast into the sea, Aphrodite emerged from the foam. Uranus is the only planet named after a Greek deity rather than a Roman one, and its axis is tilted so far that it essentially rolls along its orbit.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
Uranus is the only planet named after a Greek rather than a Roman deity — and it rolls along its orbit tilted on its side, unique in the solar system
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Saturn
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The sixth planet from the Sun, named after Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and time identified with the Greek Titan Kronos, father of Zeus
Neptune
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The eighth and outermost planet of the solar system, named after Neptune, the Roman god of the sea identified with the Greek Poseidon, because of its blue colour
Jupiter
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The largest planet in the solar system, named after Jupiter, the Roman king of the gods identified with the Greek Zeus, because of its commanding size and brightness
Aphrodite
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The planet Venus is named after the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, because it is the brightest and most beautiful object in the night sky after the Moon
Venus
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The second planet from the Sun and the brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon, named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love identified with the Greek Aphrodite
Mars
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The fourth planet from the Sun, named after Mars, the Roman god of war identified with the Greek Ares, because its reddish colour suggested blood and conflict
Pluto
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
A dwarf planet named after Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld identified with the Greek Hades, chosen because of its extreme distance and darkness at the edge of the solar system
Mercury
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The smallest and fastest planet in the solar system, named after Mercury, the Roman messenger god identified with the Greek Hermes, because of its rapid orbital speed
Ganymede
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The largest moon in the solar system, named after Ganymede, the beautiful Trojan prince abducted by Zeus to serve as cupbearer of the gods on Olympus
Helium
💭 conceptChemistry and mythology
A chemical element named after Helios, the Greek god of the sun, because it was first detected in the solar spectrum before being found on Earth
Triton
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The largest moon of Neptune, named after Triton, the merman son of Poseidon, notable for being the only large moon in the solar system that orbits in the opposite direction to its planet
Europa
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
A moon of Jupiter named after Europa, the Phoenician princess abducted by Zeus in the form of a white bull, now one of the most promising candidates for extraterrestrial life