The Sun rotates faster at its equator than at its poles because it is gaseous.

The longer version

Unlike a solid body, the Sun is made of gas and plasma, so separate latitudes can rotate at their own rates. The equator completes a turn noticeably faster than the higher latitudes, a behavior called differential rotation. There is no rigid surface to tie the layers together.

This shear stretches and twists magnetic field lines threading through the interior, and the tangled fields rise through the surface to form sunspots and loops. Activity therefore follows a cycle of roughly eleven years. The effect also helps drive the solar wind that fills the solar system. Field lines can snap and release bursts of energy.

Where this entry sits

The night sky looks calm, yet almost everything up there is moving, burning, or slowly changing. These facts cover planets, stars, the Moon, gravity, black holes, comets, and the story of how people began exploring beyond Earth. The full list sits on the Space and Sky page, where every entry is listed in order.