The rotational periods of Uranus and Neptune

Details The rotational periods of Uranus and Neptune The rotational periods of Uranus and Neptune

Dec 1977

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1977icar...32..383h&link_type=abstract

Icarus, vol. 32, Dec. 1977, p. 383-401.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

16

Neptune (Planet), Planetary Rotation, Spin Dynamics, Uranus (Planet), Astronomical Spectroscopy, Line Spectra, Natural Satellites, Optical Correction Procedure, Photographic Plates

Scientific paper

A spectroscopic study was carried out to determine the sense of spin, the period, and orientation of the spin axis on the sky for Uranus and Neptune. The observational basis for the study consisted of spectra of the two planets for which the tilt angles of the lines were determined. Corrections for seeing were made, and this procedure is described in an appendix along with a derivation for the relationship between line tilt, planetary rotation, and position angle of the spectrograph slit. It was confirmed that the spin of Uranus is retrograde and that of Neptune direct. The position angle of the pole for Uranus was 283 + or - 3.5 deg, and for Neptune it was 32 + or - 11, and these values are in close agreement with the directions of the poles deduced from the orbital motion of the major satellites of the planets. The estimates for the periods of rotation are, for Uranus, 24 + or - 3 hr, and for Neptune, 22 + or - 4 hr.

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