measure differential rotation of sun jhelioviewer

The final system, System III, measures the rotation speed of Jupiter’s magnetosphere and is usually considered the official rotation rate. These rates are measured by how long it takes for specific storms to come back into view. System II is for latitudes north and south of this region, and the rotation rate is 9 hours, 55 minutes. System 1 is for latitudes 10 degrees north and south of Jupiter’s equator – the rotation is 9 hours 50 minutes. They can be rotated, translated, and zoomed in and out the sphere. The solar images can be projected on a sphere.

The viewer is able to display solar image data, and one-dimensional and two-dimensional solar timeline data. Scientists actually use three different systems to calculate the rotation of Jupiter. The JHelioviewer solar data visualisation tool has been overhauled with a strong focus for space weather usage. So the commonly quoted 9.9 hours is actually an average amount for the entire planet. The rotation of Jupiter at its poles takes about 5 minutes longer than the rotation of Jupiter at its equator. The rotation takes different amounts of time depending on where you are on the planet. Jupiter is a ball of gas, and so it actually experiences differential rotation. In other words, points along Jupiter’s equator are actually 4,700 km more distant from the planet’s center. The polar radius of Jupiter is 66,800 km, while the equatorial radius is 71,500 km. This bulge dramatically effects the diameter of Jupiter, depending on whether you measure it from the center of Jupiter to the equator or to the poles. At its equator, our sun rotates with a period of 25 days, which is about 11 faster than at its midlatitudes (45°). The bulge at the equator is even visible in small, backyard telescopes. Since the Sun is a ball of gas/plasma, it does not have to rotate rigidly like the solid planets and moons do. Instead of being a perfect sphere, Jupiter looks more like a squashed ball. The Sun's rotation axis is tilted by about 7.25 degrees from the axis of the Earth's orbit so we see more of the Sun's north pole in September of each year and more of its south pole in March. The rapid rotation causes the planet’s equator to bulge out. This is quite a feat when you consider that Jupiter is also the largest planet in the Solar System it’s turning a lot of mass very quickly. Jupiter has the fastest rotation of all the planets in the Solar System. Unlike Mars or Mercury, Jupiter has no surface features that you track to measure the rotation speed there are no craters or mountains that rotate into view after a specific amount of time. Why was it so difficult to figure out Jupiter’s rotation? Unlike the inner terrestrial planets, Jupiter is a ball of almost entirely hydrogen and helium.

It sounds like a simple question: what’s the rotation of Jupiter? But finding out the answer was surprisingly complicated. Jupiter has the fastest rotation of all the planets in the Solar System, completing one rotation on its axis every 9.9 hours.

Measure differential rotation of sun jhelioviewer