<p><a href="https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/what-is-an-exoplanet/planet-types/overview/" rel="noreferrer">NASA distinguishes four types of exoplanets</a>: Gas Giant, Super-Earth, Neptune-like, and Terrestrial. The question asks why ice planets termed &quot;Neptune-like&quot; and not &quot;Uranus-like&quot;.</p>
<p><strong>Let's start with some statistics:</strong> What is curious, that (at least according to <code>scholar.google.com</code>), intially more icy exoplanets were termed <code>Uranus like planet</code> rather than <code>Neptune like planet</code> before eventually, the latter term started growing:</p>
<p><strong>1980 to 1990</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>2 citations with <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22uranus+like+planet%22&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0%2C5&amp;as_ylo=1980&amp;as_yhi=1990" rel="noreferrer"><code>Uranus like planet</code></a></li>
<li>0 citations with <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22neptune+like+planet%22&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0%2C5&amp;as_ylo=1980&amp;as_yhi=1990" rel="noreferrer"><code>Neptune like planet</code></a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>1990 to 1995</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>3 citations with <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22uranus+like+planet%22&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0%2C5&amp;as_ylo=1990&amp;as_yhi=1995" rel="noreferrer"><code>Uranus like planet</code></a></li>
<li>5 citations with <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22neptune+like+planet%22&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0%2C5&amp;as_ylo=1990&amp;as_yhi=1995" rel="noreferrer"><code>Neptune like planet</code></a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>1995 to 2000</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>2 citations with <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22uranus+like+planet%22&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0%2C5&amp;as_ylo=1995&amp;as_yhi=2000" rel="noreferrer"><code>Uranus like planet</code></a></li>
<li>4 citations with <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22neptune+like+planet%22&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0%2C5&amp;as_ylo=1995&amp;as_yhi=2000" rel="noreferrer"><code>Neptune like planet</code></a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>2000 to 2005</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>4 citations with <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22uranus+like+planet%22&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0%2C5&amp;as_ylo=2000&amp;as_yhi=2005" rel="noreferrer"><code>Uranus like planet</code></a></li>
<li>12 citations with <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22neptune+like+planet%22&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0%2C5&amp;as_ylo=2000&amp;as_yhi=2005" rel="noreferrer"><code>Neptune like planet</code></a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>2005 to 2010</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>4 citations with <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22uranus+like+planet%22&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0%2C5&amp;as_ylo=2005&amp;as_yhi=2010" rel="noreferrer"><code>Uranus like planet</code></a></li>
<li>43 citations with <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22neptune+like+planet%22&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0%2C5&amp;as_ylo=2005&amp;as_yhi=2010" rel="noreferrer"><code>Neptune like planet</code></a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>This supports the hypothesis that it was a &quot;vote with the feet&quot;</strong>, rather than something coordinated, much like initial density fluctuations in a protoplanetary disk which might serve as the seed for a planet, or not.</p>
<p><a href="https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/users/7982/uhoh">@uhoh</a> already suspected this in a comment, plus also mentions that the pronouncaction of Uranus might lead to unintended puns when talking about &quot;planets like ...&quot;. It is sometimes these linguistic pecularities which make a brand successful and another one not.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I'm 100% sure that</p>
<ol>
<li>it's because of the way Uranus sounds when said out loud, and</li>
<li>the decision was made in the collective unconscious, we'll never find a smoking gun, or a...</li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
<p>After all, there quite some similarities between Uranus and Neptune, see e.g. the <a href="https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=neptune+uranus" rel="noreferrer">concise comparison between the two planets at WolframAlpha</a>, although there is also reasoning <a href="https://earthsky.org/space/why-neptune-uranus-different-collisions" rel="noreferrer">Why Neptune and Uranus are different</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-13T00:33:20.117Z
this just in: [NASA Has Plans to Probe Uranus (lol)](https://slate.com/technology/2022/08/nasa-uranus-probe-orbiter-lol-sorry.html) and [NASA Scientist: Uranus' Name "Is Definitely a Distraction"
Hey! Stop Laughing](https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-scientist-uranus-name)
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-17T08:55:40.100Z
2021-03-17T16:23:12.500Z
2021-03-17T16:23:12.500Z
B--rian
<p>The largest exoplanets are typically called Jupiter-like planets, or hot/cold Jupiters. Since Jupiter is the largest most massive planet in our Solar system, it makes sense that it would be chosen as an analog. For intermediate-size exoplanets, Neptune is used as an analog (e.g. <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.01716" rel="nofollow noreferrer">1</a>).</p>
<p>Neptune and Uranus are both roughly the same size and mass. So why is Neptune rather than Uranus used as the archetype of intermediate-mass planets?</p>
<p>Did someone call an exoplanet a Neptune-like planet, choosing Neptune over Uranus for no particular reason, and then everyone else followed suit? Or is there a fundamental difference between the two planets that makes Neptune a better analog?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-16T12:39:59.247Z
Interestingly, Neptune seems to be more popular than Uranus, over most of the last centuries, see [Google Ngram](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=neptune%2Curanus&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=29&smoothing=3). I am aware that the words are not necessarily refering to planets, in particular as the discovery of Neptune was in September 1846. (Uranus was discovered in March 1781.)
B--rian
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-16T12:45:41.867Z
Just guessing, Uranus is a bit of an oddball, with its extreme axial tilt, and low temperature.
PM 2Ring
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-16T12:48:31.750Z
@B--rian Apparently Ngram is case sensitive, so [this](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Neptune%2CUranus&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3), and once we include the word "planet" for context, [they converge](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=planet+Neptune%2C+planet+Uranus&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cplanet%20Neptune%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cplanet%20Uranus%3B%2Cc0).
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-16T12:48:41.640Z
I'm 100% sure that a) it's because of the way Uranus sounds when said out loud, and b) the decision was made in the collective unconscious, we'll never find a smoking gun, or a...
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-16T12:53:05.927Z
@uhoh I totally agree with your explanation, that's why I was playing with Ngrams. My result is far from reproducible since Ngrams also depends heavily on the [corpus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_corpus) used. Beside of the obvious puns on Uranus, Neptune is also the more-known [Greek god](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune_(mythology)) than [Uranus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranus_(mythology)), I feel (without having a statistics on that).
B--rian
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-16T17:30:53.857Z
@uhoh I suspect Urontosomething.
David Hammen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-17T10:36:00.507Z
@DavidHammen groan... :-)
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-04T00:08:55.157Z
@B--rian: Neptune is a *Roman* god.  The Greek counterpart is Poseidon.
dan04
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-05T04:03:20.890Z
@DavidHammen https://www.youtube.com/shorts/r734u7g80Zw
uhoh
<exoplanet><naming><neptune><uranus>
Why was Neptune rather than Uranus chosen as an archetype?
usernumber
# Why was Neptune rather than Uranus chosen as an archetype?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-03-16)

The largest exoplanets are typically called Jupiter-like planets, or hot/cold Jupiters. Since Jupiter is the largest most massive planet in our Solar system, it makes sense that it would be chosen as an analog. For intermediate-size exoplanets, Neptune is used as an analog (e.g. [1](https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.01716)).

Neptune and Uranus are both roughly the same size and mass. So why is Neptune rather than Uranus used as the archetype of intermediate-mass planets?

Did someone call an exoplanet a Neptune-like planet, choosing Neptune over Uranus for no particular reason, and then everyone else followed suit? Or is there a fundamental difference between the two planets that makes Neptune a better analog?

**Tags:** exoplanet, naming, neptune, uranus
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Interestingly, Neptune seems to be more popular than Uranus, over most of the last centuries, see [Google Ngram](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=neptune%2Curanus&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=29&smoothing=3). I am aware that the words are not necessarily refering to planets, in particular as the discovery of Neptune was in September 1846. (Uranus was discovered in March 1781.)  
> **username_2**: Just guessing, Uranus is a bit of an oddball, with its extreme axial tilt, and low temperature.  
> **username_3**: @B--rian Apparently Ngram is case sensitive, so [this](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Neptune%2CUranus&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3), and once we include the word "planet" for context, [they converge](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=planet+Neptune%2C+planet+Uranus&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cplanet%20Neptune%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cplanet%20Uranus%3B%2Cc0).  
> **username_3**: I'm 100% sure that a) it's because of the way Uranus sounds when said out loud, and b) the decision was made in the collective unconscious, we'll never find a smoking gun, or a...  
> **username_1**: @uhoh I totally agree with your explanation, that's why I was playing with Ngrams. My result is far from reproducible since Ngrams also depends heavily on the [corpus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_corpus) used. Beside of the obvious puns on Uranus, Neptune is also the more-known [Greek god](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune_(mythology)) than [Uranus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranus_(mythology)), I feel (without having a statistics on that).  
> **username_4**: @uhoh I suspect Urontosomething.  
> **username_3**: @DavidHammen groan... :-)  
> **username_5**: @B--rian: Neptune is a *Roman* god.  The Greek counterpart is Poseidon.  
> **username_3**: @DavidHammen https://www.youtube.com/shorts/r734u7g80Zw  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-03-17. Score: 10 | Accepted answer

[NASA distinguishes four types of exoplanets](https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/what-is-an-exoplanet/planet-types/overview/): Gas Giant, Super-Earth, Neptune-like, and Terrestrial. The question asks why ice planets termed "Neptune-like" and not "Uranus-like".

**Let's start with some statistics:** What is curious, that (at least according to `scholar.google.com`), intially more icy exoplanets were termed `Uranus like planet` rather than `Neptune like planet` before eventually, the latter term started growing:

**1980 to 1990**

* 2 citations with [`Uranus like planet`](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22uranus+like+planet%22&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&as_ylo=1980&as_yhi=1990)
* 0 citations with [`Neptune like planet`](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22neptune+like+planet%22&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&as_ylo=1980&as_yhi=1990)

**1990 to 1995**

* 3 citations with [`Uranus like planet`](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22uranus+like+planet%22&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&as_ylo=1990&as_yhi=1995)
* 5 citations with [`Neptune like planet`](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22neptune+like+planet%22&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&as_ylo=1990&as_yhi=1995)

**1995 to 2000**

* 2 citations with [`Uranus like planet`](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22uranus+like+planet%22&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&as_ylo=1995&as_yhi=2000)
* 4 citations with [`Neptune like planet`](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22neptune+like+planet%22&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&as_ylo=1995&as_yhi=2000)

**2000 to 2005**

* 4 citations with [`Uranus like planet`](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22uranus+like+planet%22&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&as_ylo=2000&as_yhi=2005)
* 12 citations with [`Neptune like planet`](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22neptune+like+planet%22&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&as_ylo=2000&as_yhi=2005)

**2005 to 2010**

* 4 citations with [`Uranus like planet`](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22uranus+like+planet%22&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&as_ylo=2005&as_yhi=2010)
* 43 citations with [`Neptune like planet`](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22neptune+like+planet%22&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&as_ylo=2005&as_yhi=2010)

**This supports the hypothesis that it was a "vote with the feet"**, rather than something coordinated, much like initial density fluctuations in a protoplanetary disk which might serve as the seed for a planet, or not.

[@uhoh](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/users/7982/uhoh) already suspected this in a comment, plus also mentions that the pronouncaction of Uranus might lead to unintended puns when talking about "planets like ...". It is sometimes these linguistic pecularities which make a brand successful and another one not.

> I'm 100% sure that
>
> 1. it's because of the way Uranus sounds when said out loud, and
> 2. the decision was made in the collective unconscious, we'll never find a smoking gun, or a...

After all, there quite some similarities between Uranus and Neptune, see e.g. the [concise comparison between the two planets at WolframAlpha](https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=neptune+uranus), although there is also reasoning [Why Neptune and Uranus are different](https://earthsky.org/space/why-neptune-uranus-different-collisions).

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: this just in: [NASA Has Plans to Probe Uranus (lol)](https://slate.com/technology/2022/08/nasa-uranus-probe-orbiter-lol-sorry.html) and [NASA Scientist: Uranus' Name "Is Definitely a Distraction" Hey! Stop Laughing](https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-scientist-uranus-name)  

---

