Saturnian day measured using gravitational field

Los Angeles Times : In the early 1980s the Voyager spacecraft measured the length of Saturn’s day to be 10.6 hours based on the planet’s magnetic field. But when Cassini reached the planet in 2004, it obtained a different result. Subsequent measurements revealed that the planet’s magnetic field, unlike Earth’s, is aligned with the axis of rotation; it cannot, therefore, be used for an accurate measurement. Other techniques that attempted to use the planet’s wind patterns proved even less accurate. Ravit Helled of Tel Aviv University and his colleagues have now used Saturn’s gravitational field to measure the length of the day, which they found to be 6 minutes shorter than the original Voyager measurement. The technique uses the periodic changes in pull that Cassini feels as Saturn rotates as well as measurements of the planet’s oblateness. The researchers confirmed the accuracy of the technique by testing it against Jupiter, whose day has a well-known length.