http://umtof.umd.edu/pm/crn/CARRTIME.HTML The synodic rotation rate varies a little during the year because of the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit; the mean synodic value is about 27.2753 days. As a consequence the apparent (synodic) solar rotation period is a bit longer than the true (sidereal) period. (Hint: it may help to think of the sideREAL period as the 'real' period.) If you think about it you can convince yourself that the sidereal period is equal to the synodic period divided by (1+frac), where frac = 27.2753/365.25 = the fraction of a year the Earth moves in its orbit during one synodic solar rotation. The Earth is farthest from the Sun in July and closest in January. Objects that are farther from the Sun have a smaller angular velocity (a longer 'year') than do closer objects. Hence the synodic period is a bit smaller in July than in January. CR2079:360 2009:01:13_22h:34m:00s CT2079:360 <= times 2009:01:13_22h:34m:00s CT2079:360 <= times 2009:01:13_22h:00m:00s CT2079:360 <= times 2009:01:13_22h:59m:00s CT2079:360 <= times 2009:01:13_21h:59m:00s CT2079:359 <= times 2009:01:13_23h:34m:00s Sensitive to 2 hurs times CT2079:360 => 2009:01:13_22h:13m:23s Sensitive to 1 degs times CT2079:359 => 2009:01:14_00h:02m:30s CT2079:360.04 <= suninfo -pu 2009:01:13_22h:34m:00s CT2079:360.03 <= suninfo -pu 2009:01:13_22h:34m:59s CT2079:360.02 <= suninfo -pu 2009:01:13_22h:36m:00s CT2079:359.99 <= suninfo -pu 2009:01:13_22h:40m:00s CT2079:359.99 <= suninfo -pu 2009:01:13_22h:39m:00s CT2079:359.98 <= suninfo -pu 2009:01:13_22h:40m:30s CT2079:359.98 <= suninfo -pu 2009:01:13_22h:41m:00s Sensitive to 1 min CT2079:360.024 <= cl0_date,'2009:01:13_22h:34m:00s' CT2079:360.015 <= cl0_date,'2009:01:13_22h:34m:59s' CT2079:359.969 <= cl0_date,'2009:01:13_22h:40m:00s' CT2079:359.973 <= cl0_date,'2009:01:13_22h:39m:30s' CT2079:359.996 <= cl0_date,'2009:01:13_22h:37m:05s' CT2079:359.996 <= cl0_date,'2009:01:13_22h:37m:00s' CT2079:359.999 <= cl0_date,'2009:01:13_22h:36m:40s' CT2079:360.000 <= cl0_date,'2009:01:13_22h:36m:30s' Sensitive to 10sec CR2072:360 2008:07:06_23h:37m:00s CR2072:360 times times 2008:07:06_23h:58m:46s CR2072:360.03 suninfo