If tracking a feature near the Sun's poles, such as at 60 degrees latitude, what is the approximate rotation period in days?
Answer
35 days
Due to the Sun's differential rotation, areas closer to the poles rotate significantly slower than those near the equator. While the equatorial region completes a rotation in about 27 days (synodic), tracking a feature at a high latitude, specifically cited near 60 degrees, reveals a much longer rotational period, extending out to approximately 35 days. This substantial difference in timing between equatorial and polar regions clearly demonstrates that the Sun behaves as a fluid body whose rotational speed varies systematically with latitude, contrasting sharply with the fixed rotation of solid planets like Earth.
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