A new study is suggesting that the planet Uranus is tilted to the side because of numerous collisions with space objects. Researchers originally believed that the planet had suffered one gigantic blow that cause the planet to tilt sideways.

According to study’s leaderAlessandro Morbidelli, of the Observatoire de la Cote d’Azur in Nice, France:

“The standard planet formation theory assumes that Uranus, Neptune and the cores of Jupiter and Saturn formed by accreting only small objects in the protoplanetary disk,” and “They should have suffered no giant collisions.”

Morbidelli says the way scientists think about planet formation must now be reevaluated:

“The fact that Uranus was hit at least twice suggests that significant impacts were typical in the formation of giant planets,” while adding, “So, the standard theory has to be revised.”

Uranus is unique in that it spins at 98 degrees on it’s axis which makes it the only planet to spin on it’s side. In comparison Earth spins on a 23 degree axis.

Scientists originally believed that a giant collision with an object the size of Earth caused the planet to spin on its side.

While more computer simulations must be run the discovery could mean an entirely new way of thinking for many Uranus researchers.

In the meantime scientists are now arguing that if one collision had occured the moons around Uranus would display retrograde motion, orbiting in the opposite direction they do today.

First there’s questions about Einstein’s E-MC2 and now this, it will be interesting to see what other accepting scientific realities scientists try to prove wrong in the near future.