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Uranus is tilted 97.77 degrees, so it rolls around the Sun on its side. That gives it the most extreme seasons in the solar system, including 21-year-long dark winters.

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Uranus is tilted 97.77 degrees, so it rolls around the Sun on its side. That gives it the most extreme seasons in the solar system, including 21-year-long dark winters.ILLUSTRATION · AI

Uranus is tilted 97.77 degrees, so it spins on its side and has the most extreme seasons in the solar system, NASA says.

Uranus is the only planet whose equator is nearly at a right angle to its orbit. With a tilt of 97.77 degrees, it appears to spin sideways, orbiting the Sun like a rolling ball. NASA says the tilt may be the result of a collision with an Earth-sized object long ago.

A year on Uranus lasts about 84 Earth years. For nearly a quarter of each Uranian year, the Sun shines directly over each pole, plunging the other half of the planet into a 21-year-long, dark winter.

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