Do any other planets experience seasons?

Solar System, season, planet

Yes, plenty! For a planet to have seasons as we normally perceive them, its axis of rotation must be tipped over at an angle, so that the amount of sunlight reaching different parts of its surface changes as it orbits the Sun. In our Solar System, Mars, Saturn and Neptune all have axes tilted at roughly the same angle as Earth’s, so they experience a similar cycle of spring, summer, autumn and winter (though over a much longer period). Uranus is tipped over at a much sharper angle so it experiences even more extreme seasons, while Jupiter, Venus and Mercury are more or less ‘upright’, and don’t experience seasons.


Answered by Giles Sparrow for Brain Dump 

To feature in our Brain Dump section, send us your questions to howitworks@futurenet.com or message us on Facebook or Twitter


For more science and technology articles, pick up the latest copy of How It Works from all good retailers or from our website now. If you have a tablet or smartphone, you can also download the digital version onto your iOS or Android device. To make sure you never miss an issue of How It Works magazine, subscribe today!