Solar physics · ~25 d equator, ~35 d poles
Differential Rotation
The Sun does not rotate as a solid body: its equator completes a turn in about twenty-five days while the polar regions take around thirty-five. This shearing of the plasma winds up the magnetic field and is a key ingredient of the solar dynamo. It is measured from tracking sunspots and from helioseismology.
Highlights
- ›Equator laps the poles — winding up the magnetic field
The Sun, its layers & phenomena
Across solar physics
Knowledge connections
- Associated withThe Tachocline
- Associated withThe Solar Dynamo
- Associated withThe Sun
- Associated withThe Convection Zone
- Associated withThe Solar Dynamo
- Associated withHelioseismology
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.