Terrestrial Planets | Jovian Planets | Dwarf Planets |                                    Planet Density | Planet Rotation

The Earth takes almost 24 hours to spin on its axis once. How does the rotation other planets compare? See the table below. Jupiter is the most rapidly rotating planet in the Solar System, taking only about 10 hours to spin on its axis. Venus, on the other hand, takes 243 days to spin just once!  Why Venus spins so slowly is not understood.

The huge gas envelope of Jupiter does not rotate rigidly.  Rather, the rotation rate varies somewhat with latitude.  This movie of Jupiter shows this nicely.  The first segment is from a fixed point in space.   The second is from a point that is fixed above the Great Red Spot as it rotates around the planet.  The huge gas envelope of Jupiter does not rotate rigidly.  Rather, the rotation rate varies somewhat with latitude.  The below movie of Jupiter shows this nicely.  The first segment is from a fixed point in space.   The second is from a point that is fixed above the Great Red Spot as it rotates around the planet.

 

The Great Red Spot is a storm that has persisted for at least 300 years.  Its size has varied over the years, but it is typically 2-3 Earths across.  Wind speeds are several hundred km per hour!  Here is a movie showing its rotation.  Saturn, Uranus and Neptune also feature differential rotation.

Planet

 

Rotation Period (Earth days)
Mercury  59
Venus  243
Earth  1
Mars  1.03
Jupiter  0.41
Saturn  0.43
Uranus  0.69
Neptune  0.72