Astronomy   View all facts   Glossary   Help

physical phenomena > process > physical process > motion > rotation > differential rotation

differential rotation
subject			fact

differential rotation	has definition Of a stellar cluster or galaxy, the "orbiting" of stars nearer the center faster than those at the edge. Of a single body (such as the Sun or a gaseous planet), the axial rotation of equatorial latitudes faster than polar latitudes.
	has definition As an object rotates, different parts of it may move at different rates. The Galaxy rotates differentially.
	is a kind of rotation
physical process	has domain physics

Kinds of differential rotation :

• galactic rotation (3 facts) - The revolving of a galaxy round its central nucleus even as it continues its proper motion. Such rotation, however, is not uniform but differential. One revolution of the Sun within our own Galaxy takes about 225 million years, or 1 cosmic year.
• solar rotation (3 facts) - Differential rotation, the equatorial rotation taking less time than the polar by up to 9.4 Earth-days.