Saturn's rotation period from its atmospheric planetary-wave configuration
The rotation period of a gas giant's magnetic field (called the System III reference frame) is commonly used to infer its bulk rotation. Saturn's dipole magnetic field is not tilted relative to its rotation axis (unlike Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune), so the surrogate measure of its long-wav...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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2009
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| _version_ | 1797081543479394304 |
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| author | Read, P Dowling, T Schubert, G |
| author_facet | Read, P Dowling, T Schubert, G |
| author_sort | Read, P |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | The rotation period of a gas giant's magnetic field (called the System III reference frame) is commonly used to infer its bulk rotation. Saturn's dipole magnetic field is not tilted relative to its rotation axis (unlike Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune), so the surrogate measure of its long-wavelength (kilometric) radiation is currently used to fix the System III rotation period. The period as measured now by the Cassini spacecraft is up to 7 min longer than the value of 10 h 39 min 24 s measured 28 years ago by Voyager. Here we report a determination of Saturn's rotation period based on an analysis of potential vorticity. The resulting reference frame (which we call System IIIw) rotates with a period of 10 h 34 min 13 20 s. This shifted reference frame is consistent with a pattern of alternating jets on Saturn that is more symmetrical between eastward and westward flow. This suggests that Saturn's winds are much more like those of Jupiter than hitherto believed. © 2009 Macmillan Publishers Limited. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T01:15:43Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:8e96ff9c-9e1d-4931-9dc5-8ebb344d6240 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T01:15:43Z |
| publishDate | 2009 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:8e96ff9c-9e1d-4931-9dc5-8ebb344d62402022-03-26T22:58:51ZSaturn's rotation period from its atmospheric planetary-wave configurationJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:8e96ff9c-9e1d-4931-9dc5-8ebb344d6240EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2009Read, PDowling, TSchubert, GThe rotation period of a gas giant's magnetic field (called the System III reference frame) is commonly used to infer its bulk rotation. Saturn's dipole magnetic field is not tilted relative to its rotation axis (unlike Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune), so the surrogate measure of its long-wavelength (kilometric) radiation is currently used to fix the System III rotation period. The period as measured now by the Cassini spacecraft is up to 7 min longer than the value of 10 h 39 min 24 s measured 28 years ago by Voyager. Here we report a determination of Saturn's rotation period based on an analysis of potential vorticity. The resulting reference frame (which we call System IIIw) rotates with a period of 10 h 34 min 13 20 s. This shifted reference frame is consistent with a pattern of alternating jets on Saturn that is more symmetrical between eastward and westward flow. This suggests that Saturn's winds are much more like those of Jupiter than hitherto believed. © 2009 Macmillan Publishers Limited. |
| spellingShingle | Read, P Dowling, T Schubert, G Saturn's rotation period from its atmospheric planetary-wave configuration |
| title | Saturn's rotation period from its atmospheric planetary-wave configuration |
| title_full | Saturn's rotation period from its atmospheric planetary-wave configuration |
| title_fullStr | Saturn's rotation period from its atmospheric planetary-wave configuration |
| title_full_unstemmed | Saturn's rotation period from its atmospheric planetary-wave configuration |
| title_short | Saturn's rotation period from its atmospheric planetary-wave configuration |
| title_sort | saturn s rotation period from its atmospheric planetary wave configuration |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT readp saturnsrotationperiodfromitsatmosphericplanetarywaveconfiguration AT dowlingt saturnsrotationperiodfromitsatmosphericplanetarywaveconfiguration AT schubertg saturnsrotationperiodfromitsatmosphericplanetarywaveconfiguration |