Tag Archive for 'Rotation'

Saturn’s Great Northern Storm churning through the atmosphere in the planet’s northern hemisphere overtakes itself as it encircles the planet in this true-color view from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. This picture, captured on February 25, 2011, was taken about 12 weeks after the storm began, and the clouds by this time had formed a tail that wrapped around the gas giant. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute.

Length of Saturn’s Day Revised: 10 Hours 33 Minutes and 38 Seconds

Jan 22, 2019 by News Staff

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft observed Saturn’s ring system in unprecedented detail, and a team of planetary researchers from the University of California...

Sun-like stars rotate differentially, with the equator rotating faster than the higher latitudes. The blue arrows in the figure represent rotation speed. Differential rotation is thought to be an essential ingredient for generating magnetic activity and starspots. Image credit: MPI for Solar System Research / MarkGarlick.com.

Sun-Like Stars’ Equators Spin Up To 2.5 Times Faster than Their Poles, Say Astronomers

Sep 21, 2018 by News Staff

Our Sun rotates faster at its equator than at its poles. This process is known as differential rotation and is seen in the motion of sunspots. Now, a team...

According to Meurer et al, galaxies behave as clocks, rotating once a billion years at the very outskirts of their discs. This Hubble image shows the face-on spiral galaxy Messier 101. Image credit: NASA / ESA / K. Kuntz, JHU / F. Bresolin, University of Hawaii / J. Trauger, JPL / J. Mould, NOAO / Y.-H. Chu, UIUC / STScI.

Cosmic Clocks: Galaxies Behave Like Clocks, Rotating Once Every Billion Years

Mar 15, 2018 by News Staff

An international team of astronomers from Australia, China and the United States has discovered that all galaxies rotate once every billion years, no matter...

A selection of SAMI galaxies imaged with NAOJ’s Subaru Telescope. Image credit: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan / Caroline Foster, University of Sydney / Dan Taranu, University of Western Australia.

Astronomers Measure How Galaxy’s Spin Affects Its Shape

Sep 12, 2017 by News Staff

A new study, led by University of Sydney astronomer Caroline Foster, is the first to confirm that increased rotation alters the shape of galaxies: faster-spinning...

Study Demonstrates Gravity Determines Handedness of Molecular Screws

Mar 5, 2012 by News Staff

Researchers have for the first time demonstrated that gravity plays a role in the formation of molecular aggregates, and that it can even be used to make...