Abstract
The recent fly-by of Uranus by the Voyager 2 spacecraft provided a singular opportunity to measure one of the fundamental but poorly known physical properties of the planet, its intrinsic rotation period. Earth-based photometric and spectroscopic estimates of the ‘atmospheric’ period vary greatly, with values ranging from ∼12 to 24 h (refs 1–4); estimates of the period based on the dynamical flattening of a rotating body range from ∼15 to 17 h (refs 5, 6). Here we use the Voyager planetary radioastronomy7 and magnetometer8 observations at Uranus to derive a period of 17.24 ± 0.01 h. The greatly improved precision of this measurement provides useful constraints on models of the planet's internal structure.
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Desch, M., Connerney, J. & Kaiser, M. The rotation period of Uranus. Nature 322, 42–43 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/322042a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/322042a0
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