Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun, and the third largest. To superficial appearances, it is featureless and dull. Yet, the circumstances of its formation and the characteristics of the system of moons and rings that encircle it make it one of the most remarkable planets in all the Solar System. 

William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781. He therefore earned a distinction as the first astronomer to discover a planet not previously known to the ancients. He at first wished to name this world "The Georgian Sidus" after King George III of Great Britain. But Johann Bode named Uranus after the convention of naming planets after classical gods and goddesses. In this case, Bode named Uranus after the god of heaven and father of all the other classical gods.
