Which Planet Spins the Fastest?

The solar system has eight planets, which orbit around the sun. Out of the eight planets, six rotate around their axis in the same direction besides revolving around the sun. Jupiter is the fastest spinning planet while Venus is the slowest. Venus takes 243 Earth days to complete one rotation on its axis, making it the slowest of all planets. At the equator, Venus is spinning at the speed of 4.05 miles per hour compared to the Earth which spins at its equator at a speed of 1,037.6 miles an hour. Jupiter completes its rotation on its axis in about 10 hours, and its equator rotates at 28,273 miles an hour.

Jupiter, The Solar System's Fastest Planet

Jupiter is the 5th planet from the sun and it is the biggest of all planets in the solar system. It is a giant gaseous planet and about 2.5 times the size of all planets combined in the solar system. It spins on its axis in the opposite direction as opposed to most planets. Other gas planets include Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Jupiter is believed to have a solid core made of rocks. Like most other planets, Jupiter does not have a defined solid surface. As a result of its rotation, the planet has an oblate spheroid shape having a bulge along the equator. The atmosphere of the planet is divided into different bands that vary with the altitude. At the boundaries are great turbulence and storms and the popular one is the Great Red Spot; a giant storm, which was first observed in the 17th century using a telescope. Because the surface of the planet is not solid, the rotational speed around the equator is different from that of its polar areas, and this is why it has a bulge at its equator. The rotational speed at the equator of this planet is 28,273 miles per hour. A complete day in Jupiter around the poles is an estimated nine hours and 56 minutes while at the equator it is an estimated nine hours and 50 minutes.

Physical Characteristics of Jupiter

Jupiter is made up of 92% hydrogen and 8% of helium in the volume by gas composition, while by mass, its atmosphere is comprised of about of 75% hydrogen and 25% helium. In comparison to the planet Earth, Jupiter is massive but has low density. Jupiter has three rings around it and other moons, which orbit around it as well. The planet has faint narrow rings, which are dark and made of dust and rock fragments. Unlike the rings of Saturn, the rings of Jupiter are constantly losing materials and being replenished with the dust from other tiny meteors hitting the four inner moons. Jupiter has about 69 moons, which include four large moons that were discovered in 1610 by Galileo and they are known as Galilean moons. The largest of the four moons is the Ganymede, which has a larger diameter than planet Mercury. The Jupiter’s rings have three sections namely halo, main, and Gossamer rings.

Jupiter’s Speed in Comparison to Other Planets

In comparison to Jupiter, Venus is the slowest spinning planet on the solar system spinning at a speed of 4.05 miles per hour. The second fastest spinning planet is Saturn, which is also a gaseous planet, and it spins at a speed of 22,000 miles per hour while the third fastest planet is Uranus with a speed of 9,192.5 miles per hour.