Does the sun rotate?

does it have an axis?

http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/pad/solar/sunturn.htm

The 27-day rotation period is only true for the equator. The sun is a ball of gas and not a solid body, and the equatorial region rotates faster than the polar region (“differential rotation”). You can find some numbers in the Wikipedia article. Gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, etc) also exhibit differential rotation.

The NASA article I provided uses the “about 27 days” as a mean. The equitorial rotation takes only 24 days while the polar rotation takes 30.

…and the different rotation periods cause the magentic field lines to bunch up which in turn gives rise to Sun Spots which attain maximum activity every 11 years - at which point the magnetic poles reverse.

Oops sorry, rotation at the equator is about 27 days relative to the earth. It is indeed 24 days relative to the rest frame (i.e. the stars).

scr4: Now you’re going to have to explain the difference between sidereal solar days and mean solar solar days. :wink: