Explore Uranus's extreme axial tilt (~97.8 deg) on an ~84 yr orbit. Scrub the year, play the orbit, and optionally compare Earth's 23.44 deg obliquity on the same screen.
Published figures: axial tilt ~97.8 deg, orbital period ~84 yr, equatorial radius ~25,559 km (NASA Planetary Fact Sheet). Earth compare uses obliquity 23.44 deg.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Scrub the ~84 yr year, play/pause, or toggle the Earth tilt compare ghost.
Uranus Tilt 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows Uranus's extreme axial tilt as a teaching schematic - not an N-body ephemeris or climate model. The orange spin axis sits nearly in the orbital plane (~97.8 deg from the orbital normal), so poles face the Sun for long stretches of the ~84 yr year.
Uranus has axial tilt about 97.8 deg and orbits the Sun in about 84 years. Its equatorial radius is about 25,559 km (NASA Planetary Fact Sheet). Earth's obliquity is 23.44 deg - the compare toggle places a ghost Earth tilt for contrast. Seasons Earth 3D teaches Earth seasons; this page teaches why Uranus is the "sideways" giant.
Scrub orbit year 0-84, play or pause, or toggle Compare Earth 23.44 deg. The facts panel lists the same figures.
- Uranus sphere with ring plane and orange spin axis at ~97.8 deg
- Orbital plane ring and Sun marker for year scrubbing
- Orbit year slider 0-84 yr with play/pause
- Optional Earth obliquity compare ghost (23.44 deg)
- Published NASA Fact Sheet tilt / period / radius figures
- Distinct from seasons-earth (Earth 23.44 deg seasons) and gas-giant-atmosphere (band weather)
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
Students see why Uranus seasons last decades; teachers contrast 97.8 deg with Earth's 23.44 deg; curious readers connect "sideways planet" language to a measurable obliquity.
| Figure | Value | Source note |
|---|---|---|
| Axial tilt | ~97.8 deg | NASA Planetary Fact Sheet (Uranus) |
| Orbital period | ~84 yr | Sidereal year |
| Equatorial radius | ~25,559 km | NASA Planetary Fact Sheet |
| Earth obliquity (compare) | 23.44 deg | IAU / Earth orientation |
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached; no scene data is sent to a server.
This is an educational tilt + orbit schematic - not an N-body ephemeris or climate model.
For a step-by-step walkthrough, read the Uranus Tilt 3D Explorer step-by-step guide. The Space 3D collection also includes Seasons Earth 3D and Gas Giant Atmosphere 3D.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Uranus Tilt 3D Explorer show?
A teaching schematic of Uranus's ~97.8 deg axial tilt on an ~84 yr orbit, with an optional Earth 23.44 deg obliquity compare ghost.
How tilted is Uranus?
About 97.8 degrees relative to its orbital plane (NASA Planetary Fact Sheet). That puts the spin axis nearly sideways compared with Earth.
How long is a Uranus year?
About 84 years. The orbit year slider spans 0-84 yr so you can scrub which pole faces the Sun.
How is this different from Seasons Earth 3D?
Seasons Earth 3D teaches Earth seasons with obliquity 23.44 deg. This page teaches Uranus's extreme ~97.8 deg tilt and decades-long seasonal geometry.
Is this an N-body ephemeris?
No. It is an educational tilt and orbit schematic - not a precision ephemeris, ring dynamics solver, or climate model.
What radius does the page cite?
Equatorial radius about 25,559 km from the NASA Planetary Fact Sheet. Sphere and ring sizes in the scene are exaggerated for teaching clarity.