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A recent news story reported on the latest measurement of Saturn’s rotation rate–10h 33m 38s, plus or minus a minute or two. This is significantly shorter than what is found in most astronomy textbooks. You may think: How could it be difficult to measure a planet’s rotation rate? All you have to do is look for features on a planet’s surface and time how long it takes for them to go around. That is the sort of technique used to measure the rotation rate of a planet with a visible solid surface, such as Mars. But many of the planets don’t have a visible solid surface. For instance, Venus is perpetually surrounded by thick clouds that block our view of its surface. However, radar can easily penetrate those clouds to bounce off Venus’s solid surface, so we’ve known the rotation rate of Venus for a half century.To finish reading, spin on over to "Saturn’s Mysterious Rotation Rate". You may also like to read some other new material, "Saturn’s Rings Not Just Young, but 'Very Young'" and "Saturn's Ring Rain Rates Run Fast".
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