Why Is Uranus Colder Than Neptune?

While Neptune, the most distant planet in our Solar System, is 4.5 billion kilometers away from the Sun, Uranus, the second-farthest planet, is just 2.88 billion kilometers away. Uranus is more than a billion kilometers away from Neptune, yet it finds itself colder than its bluer neighbor. The coldest temperatures on Neptune have been measured at -360 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest temperatures on Uranus have been measured at an even more perishing -370 degrees Fahrenheit. Uranus doesn’t revolve around the Sun like a spinning top drawing a circle, but instead, it rolls ahead like a bowling ball! Currently, we believe that the planet tilted so severely after being pelted by massive celestial bodies following its formation. The blows forced the heat in its core to spill into outer space. In fact, Uranus’ core is so cold that it is the only gas giant that receives more heat than it produces.