Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Its name is a reference to the Greek god of the sky, Uranus (Caelus), who, according to Greek mythology, was the great-grandfather of Ares ( Mars), grandfather of Zeus ( Jupiter) and father of ...
was discovered in 1781 and has comparatively rarely been featured in fiction since then.
The earliest such works, such as
Stanley G. Weinbaum's 1935 short story "
The Planet of Doubt" and
Clifton B. Kruse's 1936 short story "
Code of the Spaceways", portray it as having a solid surface; in the former, humans landing on Uranus encounter hostile
aliens.
Later works depict it more accurately as a
gaseous planet; for instance,
Cecelia Holland
Cecelia Holland (born December 31, 1943) is an American historical fiction novelist.
Early life and education
Holland was born December 31, 1943, in Henderson, Nevada. She grew up in Metuchen, New Jersey, where she started writing at age 12, rec ...
's 1976 novel ''
Floating Worlds'' depicts
floating cities in the Uranian atmosphere.
Towards the end of the 20th century, there was a slight uptick in appearances by Uranus in science fiction, including the 1985 short story "
Dies Irae" by
Charles Sheffield
Charles Sheffield (25 June 1935 – 2 November 2002), an English-born mathematician, physicist and science-fiction writer, served as a President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and of the American Astronautical Society.
...
about life in the atmosphere and the 1999 short story "
Into the Blue Abyss" by
Geoffrey A. Landis
Geoffrey Alan Landis (; born May 28, 1955) is an American aerospace engineer and author, working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on planetary exploration, interstellar propulsion, solar power and photovoltaics. He ...
where there is life in the ocean below.
Of
Uranus' moons,
Ariel was discovered in 1851 and appears in
J. Harvey Haggard's 1930s novella "
Evolution Satellite", and
Miranda was discovered in 1948 and appears in the 1993 short story "
Into the Miranda Rift" by
G. David Nordley.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uranus In Fiction
Fiction about ice giants