Tops in the Sky

Rotation around a body fixed axis is a general feature of all astrophysical objects. Stars, planets, satellites, asteroids, and comets all share this feature. Measurement of such rotations has been possible for such diverse objects as exoplanetsRotationexoplanet, main sequenceRotationstellar stars, white dwarfsRotationwhite dwarf, neutron starsNeutron star and black holesRotationblack hole using various techniques. Many astronomical observations may be explained by the simple law of angular momentum conservation. The extreme angular momenta that astrophysical systems can generate serve as laboratories for General Theory of RelativityGeneral relativity.