Rotation period
From Academic Kids
In astronomy, a rotation period is the time an astronomical object takes to complete one revolution around its rotation axis. For solid objects, such as rocky planets and asteroids, the rotation period is a single value. For gaseous/fluid bodies, such as stars and gas giant planets, the period of rotation varies from the equator to the poles, called differential rotation. Typically, the stated rotation period for a gas giant (ie, Jupiter) is the internal rotation period, as determined from the rotation of the magnetic field.
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Rotation period of selected objects
| Sun | 24.66 days (equator), about 35 days near the poles |
| Mercury | 58.6462 d (58 d 15.5088 h) |
| Venus | −243.0185 d |
| Earth | 0.997 268 d (23.9344 h) (86 164 s) |
| Moon | 27.321 661 d (synchronous) |
| Mars | 1.025 957 d (24.622 962 h) |
| Jupiter | 0.413 538 021 d (9 h 55 min 29.685 s) |
| Saturn | 0.444 009 259 2 d (10 h 39 min 22.400 00 s) |
| Uranus | −0.718 333 333 d (17 h 14 min 24.000 00 s) |
| Neptune | 0.671 250 00 d (16 h 6 min 36.000 00 s) |
| Pluto | −6.387 d (6 d 9 h 17.6 min) |
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