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axial tilt

File:Planet_axis_comparison.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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axial tilt

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Also known as obliquity, obliquity of the ecliptic, Inclined

angle between the rotational axis and orbital axis of a body

AI overview

Earth's axial tilt is the angle between the direction it spins on its axis and the direction it orbits around the Sun. This tilt is why we experience seasons—as Earth moves around the Sun, different parts of the planet receive more or less direct sunlight throughout the year.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

~15 min read

Encyclopedic overview

The positive pole of a planet is defined by the right-hand rule: if the fingers of the right hand are curled in the direction of the rotation then the thumb points to the positive pole. The axial tilt is defined as the angle between the direction of the positive pole and the normal to the orbital plane. The angles for Earth, Uranus, and Venus are approximately 23°, 97°, and 177° respectively.In astronomy, axial tilt, also known as obliquity, is the angle between an object's rotational axis and its orbital axis, which is the line perpendicular to its orbital plane; equivalently, it is the angle between its equatorial plane and orbital plane. It differs from orbital inclination.

At an obliquity of 0 degrees, the two axes point in the same direction; that is, the rotational axis is perpendicular to the orbital plane.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “axial tilt” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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