The Sun, like all other celestial bodies in the universe, is not stationary. It rotates on its axis. We can estimate its rotation speed by observing the movement of sunspots over several days.
In the GIF below, we see two images of the Sun taken three days apart: the first on August 20, 2024, and the second on August 23, 2024. We can observe that the sunspots have shifted between these two dates, particularly the sunspot named 3792.
According to the website spaceweatherlive.com, on August 20, this sunspot was located at position S17E20 (17° south, 20° east). Three days later, on August 23, it had moved to position S18W21 (18° south, 21° west). This means that it stayed at roughly the same latitude (17°-18° south) but traveled 41 degrees in longitude, from 20° east to 21° west.
By calculating, we obtain a rotation speed of approximately 26.3 days (3 days / [41/360] = 26.3 days).
It's important to note that the Sun's rotation speed varies: it is about 24.47 days at the equator and 38 days at the poles. Thanks to this quick calculation, we were able to estimate the Sun's rotation speed.
Post a comment
| Date | Name | Comment |
|---|