Abstract
PLANETARY ROTATIONS.—Various attempts have been made to find some law connecting the periods of planetary rotation with each other. A fairly plausible one was given by Herbert Kaul in the Physikalische Zeitschrift for April 15, 1922 (also in Astr. Nach.), and further discussed by H. Troeger-Wohlau in the same publication, September 15, 1922. His formula involves diameter of planet, distance from sun, and a quantity K, which is a function of the inverse ratio of the orbital velocities of earth and planet. He is able to choose a value for K which gives correct rotation periods for Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. But for Venus it gives 265 hours, for Uranus 13! hours, for Neptune ii hours.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Our Astronomical Column . Nature 113, 472 (1924). https://doi.org/10.1038/113472a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/113472a0