Dossier
rotation rate
Coverage of rotation rate in the Nexus archive.
- Astronomers finally solve Saturn’s decades-long spin mystery
Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to solve a decades-old mystery about Saturn's changing rotation rate. The variation was caused by powerful atmospheric winds, not changes in the planet's speed, with Saturn's northern lights heating the atmosphere to create a self-sustaining cycle of winds, electrical currents, and auroras.