Did you know that the Planet Uranus's axis is tipped almost 90 degrees, causing extreme seasons where the sun barely ever rises or sets?

Did you know that the Planet Uranus's axis is tipped almost 90 degrees, meaning that what causes seasons on Earth gives Uranus its days?

False color image of Uranus, with its rings and moons. Note how Uranus appears "sideways," this is due to its large tilt.

Uranus is a strange planet with a spin axis tilted by over 90 degrees. At some point early in Uranus's history something, perhaps a large impact, probably tipped the planet onto its side, since most planets spin with their axes of rotation reasonable close to vertical. Earth's 23.5 degrees tilt causes the number of sunlit hours per day to vary with the seasons. Uranus's 97.8 degree tilt means that these variations are extreme; unless you are very near the equator, for much of the year the Sun either never sets or never rises. How would the length of the day change if Earth had a larger or small tilt? Find out with the Earth's Seasons tool.

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