Uranus, the seventh planet in our solar system, is often mocked for its name. However, did you know that this was the first name it got? In fact, its initial name was deemed even more controversial. Uranus was discovered in 1781 by the German-British composer and scientist William Herschel. This ice giant is blue in colour, has faint rings and has at least 27 moons. The telescope that Herschel was using at the time of the discovery was the 40-foot Newtonian reflector telescope. Built in 1789, it was the largest, most powerful telescope in the world. King George III gave grants totalling around $5,230 at the time to build this telescope.
So when Herschel discovered Uranus using this technological marvel, he thought about honouring the King. So he named it somewhat on those lines. The planet was initially named “the Georgium Sidus,” Latin for George’s Star. Space enthusiasts and scientists weren’t happy with the name, and it stirred quite a controversy. Planets were typically named based on Greek or Roman mythology. But the usual planet naming criterion was not followed in this case. Besides, having the word “star” there made no sense since it wasn’t a star, but a planet.
NASA says that German astronomer Johann Elert Bode was the first to suggest the name Uranus. However, it wasn’t until 1850 that it became common usage. Today, most cosmic bodies are named after the person who discovered them. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) approves the names and is the only organisation authorised to name planets and stars.
Uranus attracts extreme awe and fascination because it rotates on its side. It has an axial tilt of about 98 degrees, which was likely caused by some sort of collision years ago. It takes 84 years to complete one orbit around the Sun. Because of the extreme tilt, each pole experiences about 42 years of continuous sunlight followed by 42 years of darkness.