Final answer:
The seasons of the year are determined by the inclination of Earth's axial tilt, which causes varying amounts of sunlight and different temperatures throughout the year. Planets with similar axial tilts may also have similar seasonal cycles, while planets with small axial tilts would not have significant seasonal activity. Planets with extreme seasons would have a large axial tilt, leading to severe variations in temperature and weather conditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The seasons of the year are a result of the inclination of Earth's axial tilt being inclined from the normal of its orbital plane. Earth has an axis tilt of 23.4°, which causes the changing seasons. This tilt causes different parts of Earth to receive varying amounts of sunlight throughout the year, resulting in differences in temperature and weather.
Other planets with similar inclination of axial tilt, such as Mars with an axial tilt of 25.2°, might also experience seasonal cycles similar to Earth, although the duration of the seasons would be different due to their different orbital periods around the Sun. On the other hand, planets like Venus, which has an axial tilt of only 2.6°, would not have significant seasonal activity since the tilt is too small to cause noticeable changes in weather.
Planets with extreme seasons would likely have a large axial tilt, causing severe variations in temperature and weather conditions. Uranus, for example, has an axial tilt of nearly 98°, resulting in extreme seasons that last for several decades. This tilt causes one pole to face the Sun for a long period, leading to a long summer, while the other pole faces the darkness of winter.