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!Solar/Describe/Uranus
This website contains an archive of files for the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Acorn Archimedes, Commodore 16 and Commodore 64 computers, which Dominic Ford has rescued from his private collection of floppy disks and cassettes.
Some of these files were originally commercial releases in the 1980s and 1990s, but they are now widely available online. I assume that copyright over them is no longer being asserted. If you own the copyright and would like files to be removed, please contact me.
| Tape/disk: | Home » Archimedes archive » Zipped Apps » Orrery |
| Filename: | !Solar/Describe/Uranus |
| Read OK: | ✔ |
| File size: | 05EF bytes |
| Load address: | 0000 |
| Exec address: | 0000 |
File contents
Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun. It is the third largest of the "gas giants", although less than half the diameter of Saturn. One feature which puts the planet in a class of its own is the tilt of its rotational axis at 98 degrees to its orbital plane. Uranus has five main satellites orbiting in the plane of its equator. The largest is Oberon with a diameter of 1,630km, Titania (1,600km), Ariel (1,330km), Umbriel (1,110km) and Miranda a mere few hundred km across. Like Saturn, Uranus possesses a ring system. They have a completely different appearance however, being black as coal and are considerably thinner than Saturns. Minor moons have been discovered on either side of the outermost rings, and perform a shepherding action similar to that seen in the Saturnian ring system. Due to its great distance from the Sun, and the fact that it has very little internal heating, the planets temperature is very low. At the top of the atmosphere the temperature is so low that methane condenses above the clouds. There is a considerable magnetic field around the planet which is offset from the centre, and is inclined at 60 degrees to the rotational axis. This magnetic field extends far out into space and envelopes all the Uranian satellites. Little was known about Uranus until the encounter with Voyager 2 in 1986. Voyager was able to return to Earth highly detailed images of each of the major satellites, and also revealed the presence of some which were previously unknown.
00000000 55 72 61 6e 75 73 20 69 73 20 74 68 65 20 73 65 |Uranus is the se| 00000010 76 65 6e 74 68 20 70 6c 61 6e 65 74 20 66 72 6f |venth planet fro| 00000020 6d 20 74 68 65 20 73 75 6e 2e 20 49 74 20 69 73 |m the sun. It is| 00000030 20 74 68 65 20 74 68 69 72 64 20 0a 6c 61 72 67 | the third .larg| 00000040 65 73 74 20 6f 66 20 74 68 65 20 22 67 61 73 20 |est of the "gas | 00000050 67 69 61 6e 74 73 22 2c 20 61 6c 74 68 6f 75 67 |giants", althoug| 00000060 68 20 6c 65 73 73 20 74 68 61 6e 20 68 61 6c 66 |h less than half| 00000070 20 74 68 65 20 0a 64 69 61 6d 65 74 65 72 20 6f | the .diameter o| 00000080 66 20 53 61 74 75 72 6e 2e 20 4f 6e 65 20 66 65 |f Saturn. One fe| 00000090 61 74 75 72 65 20 77 68 69 63 68 20 70 75 74 73 |ature which puts| 000000a0 20 74 68 65 20 70 6c 61 6e 65 74 20 69 6e 20 61 | the planet in a| 000000b0 20 0a 63 6c 61 73 73 20 6f 66 20 69 74 73 20 6f | .class of its o| 000000c0 77 6e 20 69 73 20 74 68 65 20 74 69 6c 74 20 6f |wn is the tilt o| 000000d0 66 20 69 74 73 20 72 6f 74 61 74 69 6f 6e 61 6c |f its rotational| 000000e0 20 61 78 69 73 20 61 74 20 39 38 20 0a 64 65 67 | axis at 98 .deg| 000000f0 72 65 65 73 20 74 6f 20 69 74 73 20 6f 72 62 69 |rees to its orbi| 00000100 74 61 6c 20 70 6c 61 6e 65 2e 20 55 72 61 6e 75 |tal plane. Uranu| 00000110 73 20 68 61 73 20 66 69 76 65 20 6d 61 69 6e 20 |s has five main | 00000120 73 61 74 65 6c 6c 69 74 65 73 20 0a 6f 72 62 69 |satellites .orbi| 00000130 74 69 6e 67 20 69 6e 20 74 68 65 20 70 6c 61 6e |ting in the plan| 00000140 65 20 6f 66 20 69 74 73 20 65 71 75 61 74 6f 72 |e of its equator| 00000150 2e 20 54 68 65 20 6c 61 72 67 65 73 74 20 69 73 |. The largest is| 00000160 20 4f 62 65 72 6f 6e 20 0a 77 69 74 68 20 61 20 | Oberon .with a | 00000170 64 69 61 6d 65 74 65 72 20 6f 66 20 31 2c 36 33 |diameter of 1,63| 00000180 30 6b 6d 2c 20 54 69 74 61 6e 69 61 20 28 31 2c |0km, Titania (1,| 00000190 36 30 30 6b 6d 29 2c 20 41 72 69 65 6c 20 28 31 |600km), Ariel (1| 000001a0 2c 33 33 30 6b 6d 29 2c 20 0a 55 6d 62 72 69 65 |,330km), .Umbrie| 000001b0 6c 20 28 31 2c 31 31 30 6b 6d 29 20 61 6e 64 20 |l (1,110km) and | 000001c0 4d 69 72 61 6e 64 61 20 61 20 6d 65 72 65 20 66 |Miranda a mere f| 000001d0 65 77 20 68 75 6e 64 72 65 64 20 6b 6d 20 61 63 |ew hundred km ac| 000001e0 72 6f 73 73 2e 0a 0a 4c 69 6b 65 20 53 61 74 75 |ross...Like Satu| 000001f0 72 6e 2c 20 55 72 61 6e 75 73 20 70 6f 73 73 65 |rn, Uranus posse| 00000200 73 73 65 73 20 61 20 72 69 6e 67 20 73 79 73 74 |sses a ring syst| 00000210 65 6d 2e 20 54 68 65 79 20 68 61 76 65 20 61 20 |em. They have a | 00000220 0a 63 6f 6d 70 6c 65 74 65 6c 79 20 64 69 66 66 |.completely diff| 00000230 65 72 65 6e 74 20 61 70 70 65 61 72 61 6e 63 65 |erent appearance| 00000240 20 68 6f 77 65 76 65 72 2c 20 62 65 69 6e 67 20 | however, being | 00000250 62 6c 61 63 6b 20 61 73 20 63 6f 61 6c 20 0a 61 |black as coal .a| 00000260 6e 64 20 61 72 65 20 63 6f 6e 73 69 64 65 72 61 |nd are considera| 00000270 62 6c 79 20 74 68 69 6e 6e 65 72 20 74 68 61 6e |bly thinner than| 00000280 20 53 61 74 75 72 6e 73 2e 20 4d 69 6e 6f 72 20 | Saturns. Minor | 00000290 6d 6f 6f 6e 73 20 68 61 76 65 20 0a 62 65 65 6e |moons have .been| 000002a0 20 64 69 73 63 6f 76 65 72 65 64 20 6f 6e 20 65 | discovered on e| 000002b0 69 74 68 65 72 20 73 69 64 65 20 6f 66 20 74 68 |ither side of th| 000002c0 65 20 6f 75 74 65 72 6d 6f 73 74 20 72 69 6e 67 |e outermost ring| 000002d0 73 2c 20 61 6e 64 20 0a 70 65 72 66 6f 72 6d 20 |s, and .perform | 000002e0 61 20 73 68 65 70 68 65 72 64 69 6e 67 20 61 63 |a shepherding ac| 000002f0 74 69 6f 6e 20 73 69 6d 69 6c 61 72 20 74 6f 20 |tion similar to | 00000300 74 68 61 74 20 73 65 65 6e 20 69 6e 20 74 68 65 |that seen in the| 00000310 20 0a 53 61 74 75 72 6e 69 61 6e 20 72 69 6e 67 | .Saturnian ring| 00000320 20 73 79 73 74 65 6d 2e 0a 0a 44 75 65 20 74 6f | system...Due to| 00000330 20 69 74 73 20 67 72 65 61 74 20 64 69 73 74 61 | its great dista| 00000340 6e 63 65 20 66 72 6f 6d 20 74 68 65 20 53 75 6e |nce from the Sun| 00000350 2c 20 61 6e 64 20 74 68 65 20 66 61 63 74 20 74 |, and the fact t| 00000360 68 61 74 20 69 74 20 0a 68 61 73 20 76 65 72 79 |hat it .has very| 00000370 20 6c 69 74 74 6c 65 20 69 6e 74 65 72 6e 61 6c | little internal| 00000380 20 68 65 61 74 69 6e 67 2c 20 74 68 65 20 70 6c | heating, the pl| 00000390 61 6e 65 74 73 20 74 65 6d 70 65 72 61 74 75 72 |anets temperatur| 000003a0 65 20 69 73 20 0a 76 65 72 79 20 6c 6f 77 2e 20 |e is .very low. | 000003b0 41 74 20 74 68 65 20 74 6f 70 20 6f 66 20 74 68 |At the top of th| 000003c0 65 20 61 74 6d 6f 73 70 68 65 72 65 20 74 68 65 |e atmosphere the| 000003d0 20 74 65 6d 70 65 72 61 74 75 72 65 20 69 73 20 | temperature is | 000003e0 73 6f 20 0a 6c 6f 77 20 74 68 61 74 20 6d 65 74 |so .low that met| 000003f0 68 61 6e 65 20 63 6f 6e 64 65 6e 73 65 73 20 61 |hane condenses a| 00000400 62 6f 76 65 20 74 68 65 20 63 6c 6f 75 64 73 2e |bove the clouds.| 00000410 20 54 68 65 72 65 20 69 73 20 61 20 0a 63 6f 6e | There is a .con| 00000420 73 69 64 65 72 61 62 6c 65 20 6d 61 67 6e 65 74 |siderable magnet| 00000430 69 63 20 66 69 65 6c 64 20 61 72 6f 75 6e 64 20 |ic field around | 00000440 74 68 65 20 70 6c 61 6e 65 74 20 77 68 69 63 68 |the planet which| 00000450 20 69 73 20 6f 66 66 73 65 74 20 0a 66 72 6f 6d | is offset .from| 00000460 20 74 68 65 20 63 65 6e 74 72 65 2c 20 61 6e 64 | the centre, and| 00000470 20 69 73 20 69 6e 63 6c 69 6e 65 64 20 61 74 20 | is inclined at | 00000480 36 30 20 64 65 67 72 65 65 73 20 74 6f 20 74 68 |60 degrees to th| 00000490 65 20 0a 72 6f 74 61 74 69 6f 6e 61 6c 20 61 78 |e .rotational ax| 000004a0 69 73 2e 20 54 68 69 73 20 6d 61 67 6e 65 74 69 |is. This magneti| 000004b0 63 20 66 69 65 6c 64 20 65 78 74 65 6e 64 73 20 |c field extends | 000004c0 66 61 72 20 6f 75 74 20 69 6e 74 6f 20 73 70 61 |far out into spa| 000004d0 63 65 20 0a 61 6e 64 20 65 6e 76 65 6c 6f 70 65 |ce .and envelope| 000004e0 73 20 61 6c 6c 20 74 68 65 20 55 72 61 6e 69 61 |s all the Urania| 000004f0 6e 20 73 61 74 65 6c 6c 69 74 65 73 2e 0a 0a 4c |n satellites...L| 00000500 69 74 74 6c 65 20 77 61 73 20 6b 6e 6f 77 6e 20 |ittle was known | 00000510 61 62 6f 75 74 20 55 72 61 6e 75 73 20 75 6e 74 |about Uranus unt| 00000520 69 6c 20 74 68 65 20 65 6e 63 6f 75 6e 74 65 72 |il the encounter| 00000530 20 77 69 74 68 20 0a 56 6f 79 61 67 65 72 20 32 | with .Voyager 2| 00000540 20 69 6e 20 31 39 38 36 2e 20 56 6f 79 61 67 65 | in 1986. Voyage| 00000550 72 20 77 61 73 20 61 62 6c 65 20 74 6f 20 72 65 |r was able to re| 00000560 74 75 72 6e 20 74 6f 20 45 61 72 74 68 20 68 69 |turn to Earth hi| 00000570 67 68 6c 79 20 0a 64 65 74 61 69 6c 65 64 20 69 |ghly .detailed i| 00000580 6d 61 67 65 73 20 6f 66 20 65 61 63 68 20 6f 66 |mages of each of| 00000590 20 74 68 65 20 6d 61 6a 6f 72 20 73 61 74 65 6c | the major satel| 000005a0 6c 69 74 65 73 2c 20 61 6e 64 20 61 6c 73 6f 20 |lites, and also | 000005b0 0a 72 65 76 65 61 6c 65 64 20 74 68 65 20 70 72 |.revealed the pr| 000005c0 65 73 65 6e 63 65 20 6f 66 20 73 6f 6d 65 20 77 |esence of some w| 000005d0 68 69 63 68 20 77 65 72 65 20 70 72 65 76 69 6f |hich were previo| 000005e0 75 73 6c 79 20 75 6e 6b 6e 6f 77 6e 2e 0a 0a |usly unknown...| 000005ef
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