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Which is the fastest-rotating planet in the solar system?
A. Earth
B. Jupiter
C. Mercury
D. Venus
Correct Answer Is Option = Jupiter
Notes / Explanation
The fastest-rotating planet in the solar system is Jupiter, the largest of all the planets, which spins on its axis more quickly than any of the others despite its enormous size. Every planet, as well as turning in its orbit around the Sun, also spins around on its own axis, and this spinning is what produces the cycle of day and night on a planet, as different parts of it turn to face the Sun and then turn away from it. The time that a planet takes to complete one full turn on its axis is what may be thought of as the length of its day, and this varies greatly from one planet to another. The Earth completes one full turn in about twenty-four hours, giving us our familiar day. Jupiter, however, despite being by far the largest planet, spins so rapidly that it completes a full turn in only about ten hours, which is far quicker than the Earth, so that a day on Jupiter is much shorter than a day on our own planet. This is a remarkable fact, because one might expect such a huge body to turn slowly, but in fact it turns very fast. The rapid rotation of Jupiter has a noticeable effect on the shape of the planet, causing it to bulge outward around its middle and to be somewhat flattened at its top and bottom, so that it is not a perfect sphere but is slightly wider across its middle than from top to bottom. The fast rotation also contributes to the powerful winds and the banded, striped appearance of the planet's atmosphere, with its swirling clouds and storms, including the famous great storm that has raged on the planet for a very long time. Jupiter is a giant planet made mostly of gas, and it has many moons and a faint ring system. The study of the rotation of the planets and the lengths of their days is a part of the study of the solar system. For PPSC and other competitive examinations, the key points to remember are that the fastest-rotating planet in the solar system is Jupiter, that it completes a full turn on its axis in only about ten hours despite being the largest planet, that its rapid rotation causes it to bulge at its middle and be flattened at its top and bottom, and that this rotation contributes to the powerful winds and banded appearance of its atmosphere.
