Stellar rotation in the context of "Equatorial bulge"

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⭐ Core Definition: Stellar rotation

Stellar rotation is the angular motion of a star about its axis. The rate of rotation can be measured from the spectrum of the star, or by timing the movements of active features on the surface.

The rotation of a star produces an equatorial bulge due to centrifugal force. As stars are not solid bodies, they can also undergo differential rotation. Thus the equator of the star can rotate at a different angular velocity than the higher latitudes. These differences in the rate of rotation within a star may have a significant role in the generation of a stellar magnetic field.

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Stellar rotation in the context of PSR B1509−58

PSR B1509−58 is a pulsar approximately at a distance of 17,000 light-years in the constellation of Circinus discovered by the Einstein X-Ray Observatory in 1982. Its diameter is only 12 miles (19 km). It is located in a Pulsar wind nebula created by itself, that was caused as a remnant of the Supernova (SNR) MSH 15−52 visual approximately 1,700 years ago at the southern celestial hemisphere not visible in the Northern Hemisphere. The nebula spans about 150 light years. The 0.1515 second pulsations ("6.597 times per second") are detected in the radio, X-ray, and γ-ray bands.

NASA described the star as "a rapidly spinning neutron star which is spewing energy out into the space around it to create complex and intriguing structures, including one that resembles a large cosmic hand". It is also known by the name "Hand of God". This phenomenon is called pareidolia.

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Stellar rotation in the context of Solar radius

A solar radius is a unit of distance, commonly understood as 695,700 km and expressed as , used mostly to express the size of an astronomical objects relative to that of the Sun, or their distance from it. This length is also called the nominal solar radius. The sun's actual radius, from which the unit of measurement is derived, is usually calculated as the radius from the sun's center out to the layer in the Sun's photosphere where the optical depth equals 2/3. One solar radius can be described as follows:This is an approximation: both because such distance is difficult to measure and can be measured in various ways, and because the sun is not a perfectly spherical object itself, and thus the actual radius varies depending on the point(s) measured and modality of measurement employed.

695,700 kilometres (432,300 miles) is approximately 10 times the average radius of Jupiter; 109 times the 6378 km radius of the Earth at its equator; and or 0.0047 of an astronomical unit, the approximate average distance between Earth and the Sun. The solar radius to the sun's poles and that to the equator differ slightly due to the Sun's rotation, which induces an oblateness in the order of 10 parts per million.

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