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The "rotation" of a planet is its "day." On Earth, a day is considered 24 hours, the approximate time from noon to noon at any given location. This is the solar day.

However, the actual period of rotation is shorter, when observed independently of its movement around the Sun. The rotation as compared to the "fixed stars" is the sidereal day, and for the Earth is about 23 hours and 56 minutes.

The additional 4 minutes are required to finish turning back toward the Sun because the Earth is also circling the Sun in its orbit. It takes that extra time to complete one turn. Other planets similarly have a "solar day" that varies from the "sidereal day." This is extreme in the cases of the planets Mercury and Venus, which both spin very slowly compared to their shorter years (revolution around the Sun).

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13y ago

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