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The Sun crosses the meridian (the imaginaryline in the sky from due north to due south and passing directly overhead) at solar noon. The period between two successive solar noons is a "solar day".
When you reckon the period of time between two successive meridian transits of a distant star, or the vernal equinox, that is a "sidereal day".
In simple terms the sidereal day is the rotation period of a planet.
What else can I help you with?
Why is a solar day 4 minutes longer than a sidereal day?
A solar day is approximately 24 hours long, while a sidereal day is about 23 hours and 56 minutes. The difference arises because the Earth not only rotates on its axis but also orbits around the Sun. As the Earth moves in its orbit, it must rotate slightly more than one full turn for the Sun to return to the same position in the sky, resulting in the solar day being about 4 minutes longer than the sidereal day.
What are some major characteristics of Venus?
Venus has 95 percent carbon dioxide in it's atmospheric composition therefore it has the strongest green house effect in the whole solar system. Venus shows Retrograde rotation. A sidereal year on Venus is shorter than a sidereal day on Venus. Venus's rotation is slowest in the whole solar system.
Which is longer the stellar day the sidereal day or the solar day?
Usually the solar day is the longest. The other two are very similar in length to each other. For example, the solar day on Earth is about 4 minutes longer than the other two "days". However, for the planet Venus the solar day is the shortest. That's because Venus has retrograde rotation.
What would cause the solar day to be shorter than the sidereal day?
The sidereal day of a planet is the time it takes to rotate once on it's axis. The solar day is the time from sunrise to sunset. To see why they are different, let's image a planet that rotates very slowly. Every time it goes around its star once, it also rotates once on its axis. Since it rotates once on its axis per year, there is one sidereal day per year. Now, in order for this to work, one side of the planet must be facing the star at all times. This means that there is no sunrise or sunset, so on this planet, there are zero solar days in a year. Now let's image a planet that rotates twice a year (has two sidereal days a year). At the beginning of the year, a side of that planet is facing the star. Halfway through that year, the planet has rotates once, but is on the other side of the star, so that side of the planet is now facing away from the star. At the end of the year, the planet is back where it started. There has been one sunrise and one sunset, so only one solar day. From this we can see that a planet (as long as it has at least one sidereal day per year) has one more sidereal day per year than solar day per year. There are 365.242 solar days in an Earth year, but there are 366.242 sidereal days in an Earth year.
Is a lunar year longer than a solar year?
No, a lunar year is shorter than a solar year. A lunar year is based on the time it takes for the moon to orbit the Earth, which is about 354 days. In contrast, a solar year is based on the time it takes for the Earth to orbit the sun, which is about 365 days.
Why the length of day appears to be 4 minutes longer than it actually is?
There is more than one definition of "day". On the Earth one "day" is about 4 minutes longer than the other. Both are correct. The "solar day" is 24 hours, but the "sidereal day" is about 4 minutes shorter. The sidereal day is the time the Earth takes to rotate once. The solar day is the time taken (on average) for the Sun to complete its apparent daily journey around the sky. The solar day is a bit longer because the Earth orbits the Sun and that affects the position of the Sun in the sky. The Earth needs to rotate for about 4 minutes more than the "sidereal day" to have the Sun in the same place in the sky again.
Why is a solar day 4 minutes longer than a sidereal day?
A solar day is approximately 24 hours long, while a sidereal day is about 23 hours and 56 minutes. The difference arises because the Earth not only rotates on its axis but also orbits around the Sun. As the Earth moves in its orbit, it must rotate slightly more than one full turn for the Sun to return to the same position in the sky, resulting in the solar day being about 4 minutes longer than the sidereal day.
Is a solar year longer than a year?
The lunar year is in fact shorter than a solar year,it consists in the region of 354 days a year.
What are some major characteristics of Venus?
Venus has 95 percent carbon dioxide in it's atmospheric composition therefore it has the strongest green house effect in the whole solar system. Venus shows Retrograde rotation. A sidereal year on Venus is shorter than a sidereal day on Venus. Venus's rotation is slowest in the whole solar system.
How long is earth time?
One complete sidereal revolution of Earth takes about 365.25636 days. That is a little longer than a solar or tropical year, which last about 365.2422 days.
Why is the longer leg longer than the shorter leg if the shorter leg is longer than the longer leg?
Because if the shorter leg was shorter than the longer leg was long, then the longer leg wouldn't be longer than the shorter leg is short. The short leg would be the longer one rather than the long one being the short one.
How long is Earth revolution time?
One complete sidereal revolution of Earth takes about 365.25636 days. That is a little longer than a solar or tropical year, which last about 365.2422 days.
What planets days are longer than your year?
Venus "sidereal day" is longer than its year. Mercury's "solar day" is longer than its year. However, there is no planet in our solar system with a day longer than our year on Earth.
Which is longer the stellar day the sidereal day or the solar day?
Usually the solar day is the longest. The other two are very similar in length to each other. For example, the solar day on Earth is about 4 minutes longer than the other two "days". However, for the planet Venus the solar day is the shortest. That's because Venus has retrograde rotation.
What is the difference between a sidereal month and and a synodic month?
A sidereal month is the time it takes the moon to complete one orbit of earth. A synodic month is longer than a sidereal month because it takes longer for the moon to go through it's phases
If the direction of rotation of the Earth were reversed and the direction of revolution remained the same would the sidereal day be longer than the solar day?
Yes, if the rotation of the Earth were reversed, the sidereal day (based on the Earth's rotation in relation to distant stars) would be longer than the solar day (based on the Earth's position relative to the Sun), because the Earth would need to rotate slightly further to complete a full rotation in relation to the stars.
What would cause the solar day to be shorter than the sidereal day?
The sidereal day of a planet is the time it takes to rotate once on it's axis. The solar day is the time from sunrise to sunset. To see why they are different, let's image a planet that rotates very slowly. Every time it goes around its star once, it also rotates once on its axis. Since it rotates once on its axis per year, there is one sidereal day per year. Now, in order for this to work, one side of the planet must be facing the star at all times. This means that there is no sunrise or sunset, so on this planet, there are zero solar days in a year. Now let's image a planet that rotates twice a year (has two sidereal days a year). At the beginning of the year, a side of that planet is facing the star. Halfway through that year, the planet has rotates once, but is on the other side of the star, so that side of the planet is now facing away from the star. At the end of the year, the planet is back where it started. There has been one sunrise and one sunset, so only one solar day. From this we can see that a planet (as long as it has at least one sidereal day per year) has one more sidereal day per year than solar day per year. There are 365.242 solar days in an Earth year, but there are 366.242 sidereal days in an Earth year.
