The corotation circle is the circle around the galactic center of a spiral galaxy, where the stars move at the same speed as the spiral arms. The radius of this circle is called the corotation radius. Inside the circle the stars move faster and outside they move slower than the spiral arms.
The Sun is located near the corotation circle of the Milky Way.[1][2]
- ^ Mishurov, Yu. N.; Zenin, I. A. (1999). "Yes, the Sun is located near the corotation circle". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 341: 81–85. Bibcode:1999A&A...341...81M. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.389.1593.
- ^ Dias, Wilton S.; Lepine, J. R. D. (2005). "Direct Determination of the Spiral Pattern Rotation Speed of the Galaxy". The Astrophysical Journal. 629 (2): 825–831. arXiv:astro-ph/0503083. Bibcode:2005ApJ...629..825D. doi:10.1086/431456. S2CID 18071807.