The sidereal rotation period of Neptune

The two main, low frequency radio components discovered at Neptune by the Planetary Radio Astronomy experiment carried aboard Voyager 2 have a well defined periodicity at about 16.1 hour. By analyzing all the available data, i.e. about 60 days around the closest approach for the “Burst” component and 15 days for the “Smooth” component, we determine, for each component, the best estimate of the radio period. We conclude that the two estimates are not statistically different. While the two kinds of radio emissions have very different characteristics (in particular their frequency ranges and beaming properties), and probably correspond to different emission processes, their modulation is very likely due to the rotation of the planetary magnetic field tied to the core of the planet, as it has already been assumed for the other giant planets. The deduced estimate of the sidereal rotation period of Neptune is 16.108 ± 0.006 (or 16h06.5m ± 00.4m).