AbstractHydromagnetic flow past an infinite horizontal plate is considered when the flow is rarefied and the temperature of the wall is high enough for radiative heat transfer to be significant. In the undisturbed flow far away from the plate, an oscillatory velocity is superimposed on a steady mean and the whole configuration is in constant rotation. When the flow is slightly rarefied, the compressible Navier–Stokes equations and the slip boundary conditions together with the general differential approximation for radiation suffice for the analytical description of the problem. If the amplitude of oscillation is small, the problem is tackled by a perturbation scheme and numerical integration. Consequences of the effect of rotation and oscillation on the flow variables are discusse