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Uranus has bizarre seasons, at least from our earthly perspective. As we explore distant exoplanets \u2013 or think about moons or rocky asteroids in this solar system \u2013 who knows what range of differences we\u2019ll find? But for the moment we do know this. Uranus has unusual seasons, in contrast to Earth and the other major known planets. It\u2019s because Uranus\u2019 spin axis lies nearly sideways with respect to the plane of its orbit around the sun. Compared to Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune \u2013 all of which spin elegantly, nearly upright, as they orbit our local star \u2013 Uranus seems almost as if it\u2019s rolling<\/em> around the sun, like a rolling ball. <\/p>\n Earth\u2019s axis is tilted 23.5 degrees from perpendicular with respect to the plane of our orbit around the sun. Uranus\u2019s axis is tilted at 98 degrees! So Uranus is tilted nearly sideways to the plane of the solar system, the single flat sheet of space in which nearly all the planets and moons orbit. <\/p>\n And, speaking of its orbit, Uranus orbits 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km) from the sun. Therefore, Uranus takes a long time to orbit the sun once. Its \u201cyear\u201d is 84 Earth-years long. That makes each of its four seasons 21 years long. That\u2019s another reason we on Earth think of Uranus\u2019 seasons as strange. <\/p>\n Like Earth, Uranus has a nearly circular orbit, so it always remains at roughly the same distance from the sun. Unlike Mars \u2013 whose orbit is more elliptical than that of Earth or Uranus \u2013 Uranus\u2019 distance from the sun isn\u2019t a factor in its seasonal change. <\/p>\n Instead, as on Earth, the planet\u2019s tilt is what gives Uranus its four seasons.<\/p>\n The 2024 lunar calendars are here! Best Christmas gifts in the universe! Check \u2019em out here. <\/p>\n