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Why does it take 24 hours for a communications satellite to orbit Earth?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
They take 24 hours to orbit earth so they will always be in the same place in the sky. This makes it easier for setting up satellite dishes for example, since they have to be pointed toward the satellite.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
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Which factor would most likely cause communications satellite orbiting earth to return to earth from its orbit?
That will happen if the satellite loses energy. This is usually caused by air resistance, if the satellite's orbit is too low.
Geo space orbit?
It is a little strange that things in higher orbits actually travel more slowly than things in lower orbits. The Space Shuttle and the International Space Station both orbit in about 90 minutes, while the Moon - 250,000 miles away - take a whole month to orbit the earth. There is one kind of orbit that has a special name and a special purpose. A satellite that orbits at 22,300 miles high will orbit the Earth in 24 hours. You might notice that the Earth revolves around its axis in 24 hours. So a satellite at that altitude orbits the Earth at the same rate that the Earth turns, which means that the satellite is moving just as fast as the Earth does. So the satellite appears to stand still in the sky! We call this a geo-synchronous orbit. Geo, for Earth; synchronous, for "equal time". This is an especially handy orbit for things like communications satellites, which "hover" over the same spot on the equator.
Do all satellites orbit the same direction?
No, all satellites do not orbit Earth at the same altitude. An good overview of this can be found on http://www.idirect.net/Company/Satellite-Basics/How-Satellite-Works.aspx. This overview reviews Low Earth Orbit, Medium Earth Orbit and Geostationary Orbits.
Why must communication satellites travel 35000 kilometers above earths surface?
The requirement is to place the satellite in such a way that it appears motionless in the sky, as seen from the surface of the earth. This is a great advantage in satellite communication, because if the satellite appears stationary, then the dish antenna on the ground doesn't have to move to follow the satellite ... the dish can be aimed once, and can stay in the same position permanently. In order to have the satellite appear motionless, it has to follow the 24-hour rotation of the earth. The orbital period of any satellite's revolution (around a much larger body) depends only on the average orbital distance. For the earth, the period of a 238,000-mile orbit (where the moon is) is about 27 days, and the period of an orbit that averages about 22,400 miles is 24 hours. So a communications satellite in an orbit with this average distance will complete one revolution around the earth in 24 hours. Wherever it is right now, it will appear in the same exact place 24 hours from now. This is a "geosynchronous" orbit. But that's not good enough yet. The orbit may have the right average distance, but it may still be very eccentric, ranging from close-in to way-out in the course of 24 hours. If that's the case, then it will move faster when it's closer in, and slower when it's farther out. Watching it from the earth, it'll appear to move back and forth like a pendulum, returning to the same position every 24 hours but making a complete left-right swing every day. This still wouldn't be useful for stationary ground-based dish antennas. So another restriction on the orbit is that it must not only be at the correct average distance, but it must also be very close to a circular shape, so that the satellite's speed in the orbit is nearly constant. And there's yet one more requirement that the orbit has to satisfy. Consider this in your imagination: There can't be an orbit where the satellite circulates over, say, a little 20-mile circle around the North Pole. A satellite orbit has to revolve around the "whole earth", which is a clunky way of saying that the center of the earth has to be in the plane of the orbit. The orbit can "incline" as much as you want ... the satellite can stay over the equator all the time, or swing from North pole to South pole and back again, but the center of the orbit always has to be at the center of the earth. Now you can see the final requirement for a communications satellite: If the orbit is inclined to the equator, then the satellite will appear to swing above and below its average location in the sky every 24 hours, which also makes it hard for a stationary antenna on the ground. The orbit has to be oriented at 'zero inclination', meaning it lies directly above the equator at every point. Now, finally, with a nearly circular, equatorial orbit, of exactly the right size, the satellite appears motionless in the sky, and all those little 18-inch TV dishes on the neighborhood rooftops can be pointed once at the satellite and never need to move. A satellite in this orbit is not only "geosynchronous" (24-hour orbital period), but also "geostationary" ... motionless relative to a point on the earth.
What type of orbit can orbit earth and have a orbital period equal to the rotation period of earth?
The term you are likely looking for is "Geosynchronous Orbit"Any orbit with a semi-major axis of about 22,000 miles has an orbital period of 24 hours.If the orbit is circular, then the satellite is always at the same longitude,but oscillates north and south every day.If the orbit is in the plane of earth's equator, then the satellite appears stationaryover one place on the earth's surface.A good example is any of the satellites that send TV to those little dishesmounted on everyone's garage.
Which factor would most likely cause communications satellite orbiting earth to return to earth from its orbit?
That will happen if the satellite loses energy. This is usually caused by air resistance, if the satellite's orbit is too low.
How do satellite phones work?
Satellite phones work by connecting directly to a communications satellite in orbit, which then routes the call to a standard phone network. Because the satellites are in orbit the phone can work anywhere on earth.
How long would a communication satellite take orbit earth?
5 hours
Geo space orbit?
It is a little strange that things in higher orbits actually travel more slowly than things in lower orbits. The Space Shuttle and the International Space Station both orbit in about 90 minutes, while the Moon - 250,000 miles away - take a whole month to orbit the earth. There is one kind of orbit that has a special name and a special purpose. A satellite that orbits at 22,300 miles high will orbit the Earth in 24 hours. You might notice that the Earth revolves around its axis in 24 hours. So a satellite at that altitude orbits the Earth at the same rate that the Earth turns, which means that the satellite is moving just as fast as the Earth does. So the satellite appears to stand still in the sky! We call this a geo-synchronous orbit. Geo, for Earth; synchronous, for "equal time". This is an especially handy orbit for things like communications satellites, which "hover" over the same spot on the equator.
How long does it take a satellite to circle the Earth?
That depends on the altitude. Low altitude satellites, about 140 miles up, take about 90 minutes to orbit. Communications satellites 23,000 miles up take 24 hours. The higher the orbit, the longer it takes.
If a satellite orbiting just above the surface of the Earth orbits in about 1.5 hours then at about how many Earth radii from the Earth's center must a satellite orbit to have a period of 24 hours?
You can use Kepler's Third Law to calculate this.
6 What name is given to the orbit of an artificial communications satellite?
Geo
Why does the space station move so fast?
The speed of its apparent movement are determined by its orbit. The closer to Earth, the faster it appears to move. Satellites in low earth orbit (such as the ISS) orbit around 150 miles up, and take about 90 minutes to complete one orbit. Since the world is about 25,000 miles around, that means that a LEO satellite is moving about 18,000 miles per hour. Geosynchronous communications satellites are about 23,000 miles up and orbit once in 24 hours. Since the Earth itself turns in just 24 hours, a geosynchronous satellite appears to be stationary in the sky.
What is it meant by apogee and perigee?
Both of those words refer to points in the orbit of an earth satellite ... the moon or any artificial satellite. Apogee . . . the point in the orbit where the satellite is farthest from the earth. Perigee . . . the point in the orbit where the satellite is closest to the earth.
Uses of artificial satellites pathways artificial satellites can take geostationary and low polar orbit?
The altitude of the satellite is critical depending on the purpose of the satellite. Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are fairly close to the Earth, and is good for photographic reconnaissance; it's a lot easier to get a good photo from 140 miles up as opposed to 23,000 miles up. The LEO satellite passes quickly over the surface, and isn't visible above the horizon for more than a few minutes per orbit, so LEO satellites work poorly for communications purposes. Geo-synchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites orbit the Earth at an altitude of about 23,000 miles, and orbit the Earth in 24 hours - meaning, they orbit the Earth in the same time that it takes for the Earth to spin once. So a GEO satellite that's over the equator will appear to be in a fixed position in the sky, and doesn't appear to move. These are excellent for ground communications and relay purposes, because the ground antenna doesn't need to move; it's always pointed at the satellite. Polar orbit satellites will pass over every point on the Earth; the satellite is going around the world while the Earth spins beneath it.
Low Earth orbit satellite period of revolution?
umm if my calculations are correct the period of a low earth orbit (LEO) is approximately 40000000000069 years. as extrapolated from Kepler's equation.
How do you use 'orbit' in a short sentence?
As a noun: The rocket placed the satellite into a high Earth orbit. As a verb: The satellite had to travel very fast to orbit the Earth.
