In solar-terrestrial terms, the change in solar rotation rate with latitude. Low latitudes rotate at a faster angular rate (approx. 14 degrees per day) than do high latitudes (approx. 12 degrees per day).
The difference in the pace of rotation between the polar and equatorial regions on the Sun
The sun does not rotate as a solid body; areas located in the equatorial regions complete a revolution in ~ 25 days, while in polar regions a revolution requires some 30 days.
(1) The variable rotation rate of a gaseous body, such as a star or Jupiter-type planet according to latitude (distance from its equator). This results in gas near the equator rotating more quickly than gas near the poles. (2) The variable rotation in a disc-shaped structure, such as a galaxy, according to distance from its centre. Stars near the centre take less time to complete one rotation than those further away.
The tendency for a gaseous sphere, such as a jovian planet or the Sun, to rotate at a different rate at the equator than at the poles. For a galaxy or other object, a condition where the angular speed varies with location within the object.
The change in solar rotation rate with latitude. Low latitudes rotate at a faster angular rate (approx. 14 degrees per day) than do high latitudes (approx. 12 degrees per day). For example, the equatorial rotation period is 27.7 days compared to 28.6 days at latitude 40 degrees.
(galaxy): stars closer to a disk galaxy's center complete a greater fraction of their orbit in a given time than stars farther out from the center, so that adjacent parts of the galactic disk do not always stay close to each other.
The change in rotation rate with latitude. Solid bodies like the Earth do not show this effect but the giant planets (eg Jupiter and Saturn) and the Sun do because they are composed of gas. Low latitudes rotate at a faster angular rate. For the Sun the difference is such that low latitudes near the equator rotate at 14 degrees per day but the high latitudes at only 12 degrees per day.
The rotation of a body in which different parts of the body have different periods of rotation. This is true of the Sun, the Jovian planets, and the disk of the galaxy.
Differential rotation is seen when different parts of a rotating object move with different angular velocities (rates of rotation). This indicates that the object is not solid. In fluid objects, such as accretion disks, this leads to shearing.
