You've been pronouncing 'Uranus' wrong your entire life. How Astronomers say it
Uranus has been the butt of a lot of jokes (stop giggling). And it doesn't help that it's huge — roughly four times the size of Earth — or gassy with an atmosphere comprised partly of methane. Or, as NASA describes Uranus, "a bit lonely."
No spacecraft other than Voyager 2 has flown by our seventh planet from the sun. Alone but certainly unique, Uranus rotates at a nearly 90-degree angle and is surrounded by 13 icy rings. Images of which were captured in rich detail last year by the James Webb Space Telescope.
"Uranus has never looked better," the NASA Webb Telescope posted on its official social media account.
NASA's cheeky Tweet likely stirred a few laughs, but you should know in professional circles, most astronomers pronounce "Uranus" differently than, say, a group of giggling middle-schoolers.
'Uranus has never looked better': James Webb Space Telescope captures new image of ice giant
"Ring in" @NASAWebb's new image of Uranus!
Hubble has observed the planets in our solar system for decades, and its consistent check-ins give astronomers a wealth of data about their atmospheres and weather.
Now with Webb on the job as well, we can learn even more! ?? pic.twitter.com/IxDXCWd2u2— Hubble (@NASAHubble) April 6, 2023
How to pronounce 'Uranus' like a scientist
"Strictly speaking, it's pronounced 'YOOR-AH-NUS,'" said planetary physicist Kevin Grazier during a 2016 interview with Fraser Cain, whose popular YouTube channel 'Universe Today' explores space topics.
Grazier is hardly alone among astronomers who, for years, have been spoiling cracks about Uranus.
Scientist Emily Lakdawalla, in an earlier article for the Planetary Society, described how she approached teaching her 5th grade students to avoid saying 'your anus' or 'urine us.' Lakdawalla went up to the blackboard one day, she said, and wrote in big letters: 'You're a nuss!'
That pronunciation kind of takes the kick out of businesses like the Uranus Fudge Factory in Anderson, Indiana.
How did Uranus get its name?
English astronomer William Herschel discovered the ice giant in 1781 and tried unsuccessfully to name it after King George III, according to NASA. His original suggestion of Georgium Sidus, or "George's Star" wasn't popular outside of England.
A year after Hershel's discovery, writes Popular Science, German astronomer Johann Bode suggested the winning name: Uranus, the Latin word for the Greek god of the sky: Ouranos (Ew-rah-nose). Strangely enough, this gives Uranus one other unique distinguishing feature — it's the only planet in our solar system named after a Greek deity among a pantheon of Romans.
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John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JTuftsReports.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How is 'Uranus' actually pronounced? What NASA calls our 7th planet
