Why is geostationary important?

Answer 1

A geostationary satellite is an earth-orbiting satellite, placed at an altitude of approximately 35,800 kilometers (22,300 miles) directly over the equator, that revolves in the same direction the earth rotates (west to east). At this altitude, one orbit takes 24 hours, the same length of time as the earth requires to rotate once on its axis.

The term geostationary comes from the fact that such a satellite appears nearly stationary in the sky as seen by a ground-based observer.

In other words a satellite that orbits a specific part of the earth while the earth is rotating so it looks like the satellite doesn't move. For example if you put a satellite over over the geographic US it will stay over the US and turn with the earth around the axis without ever loosing site of the US.

Answer 2

Answer: A geostationary satellite is any satellite which is placed in a geostationary orbit. Satellites in geostationary orbit maintain a constant position relative to the surface of the earth. Geostationary satellites do this by orbiting the earth at approximately 22,300 miles above the equator. At this altitude, the speed of a satellite's rotation around the world is identical to the rotational speed of the world itself. While the satellite is actually moving; but moving at the same speed as the rotational speed of the world itself, it is always appears in the same azimuthal (angle); latitudinal and longitudinal position of the sky over the equator. Being geostationary allows an earth receiving & transmitting station to maintain bidirectional communications with satellites without the need of having to always reposition the earth based "dish" like antenna. A practical example is one's home whose television is connected to a unidirectional (receives only) dish antenna. If the satellite that the dish antenna is aimed at was not geostationary, people would lose the satellite's signal as soon as it deviated one degree from its position. In general, all data, audio & video satellites are launched into a geostationary orbit.

Answer 3

If they were not, then every antenna that wants to use a satellite ... such as the

thousands of little TV-satellite dishes on houses and garages ... would need to

keep moving to follow the satellite. The correct motions would depend on your

location, and would be different everywhere. So the motion couldn't be programmed

into the antenna motors ... the receiver would have to sense the signal and keep

telling the antenna how to move to keep the signal peaked. A system equipped to

do that would be much too expensive for most of the families that have satellite TV

now.

Plus, a satellite that's not geostationary would be below the horizon and unusable

for some part of every day.

Answer 4

Most satellites travel around the planet - in an orbit that's either faster or slower than the Earth rotates. A geostationary satellite - orbits at the same speed as the Earth's rotation... making it appear stationary.