Published:
June 1, 2006
| Most planets in our solar system have spin axes inclined close to 90° to the ecliptic, the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun. There are exceptions: Uranus rotates on an axis in line with the ecliptic, and Venus' axis tips 177° (because astronomers define a planet's north pole based on its spin direction, and Venus rotates opposite the direction of most planets). But the alignment of other planets is close enough that it can't be considered a coincidence. |
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