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The sine wave pattern seen is the result of viewing the orbital trajectory on a 2D surface. If the inclination of the satellite is 0 degrees, then the orbital path would appear as a straight line. Thus in fact the spacecraft move in elliptical orbits.

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Why is the space station's orbit shaped like a sine wave on a world map?

The Earth is round, but the maps that those diagrams are on are flat. The International Space Station uses a circular orbit, but when the route is shown on a flat surface it appears in a wave formation. If you draw a line around a fruit that you can easily peel and then peel the fruit and try and lay it out flat, you will see that the line is in a wave. The Earth is also rotating, so as the International Space Station orbits the Earth the places it passes over changes, which also has an affect on how the route appears.


Why does the space shuttle's orbit apparently follow a wave pattern?

I think you mean, :why does the orbit of satellites, etc. look like a sine wave? Well, every orbit around the earth looks like a circular (or elliptical ring) whose center (or focus) is at the center of the earth. An orbit exactly above the equator is one such orbit, but any orbit can be tilted as long as the center (or focus) stays at the earth's center and the whole orbit is flat like a disk. On various maps this makes the orbit look like a wave, but on a globe it stays a flat circle (or ellipse).


Why do satellites fly in a wave pattern?

You're describing the wavelike line that shows up on the maps at mission control when theyplot the path of the spacecraft that they've just launched.Try to imagine this:The satellite is circling the earth at a constant rate ... say one orbit every couple of hours. At the same time,the earth is rotating under the satellite, one complete spin every 24 hours.Add these two motions together, and you'll see that a point on the ground ... if it always stays directly UNDERthe satellite ... will trace that 'wave' shape on the ground.


Is the moon's path through space a spiral?

No, the Moon's path through space is not a spiral. The Moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical shape, following a consistent and predictable path. The perceived changes in the Moon's position in the sky are a result of its orbit and the rotation of the Earth.


Why is the ISS not in a circular orbit?

It just looks like that, when the orbit is placed in a flat map. Like take a globe and flatten it, everything will be different from what it originally was. Here's a link to read about that. https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/why-do-satellites-orbits-look-like-a-sinusoidal-wave-on-the-world-map.html

Related Questions

Why are satellite orbits depicted as sine-wave shapes?

The sine wave represents 360 degrees or a full circle. As the satellite revolves 360 degrees around the earth in its orbit this is how it is represented on a flat surface.


How do you generate cos wave from sine wave?

By shifting the sine wave by 45 degrees.


What is the Fourier transform of a sine wave?

The Fourier transform of a sine wave is a pair of delta functions located at the positive and negative frequencies of the sine wave.


Why is the space station's orbit shaped like a sine wave on a world map?

The Earth is round, but the maps that those diagrams are on are flat. The International Space Station uses a circular orbit, but when the route is shown on a flat surface it appears in a wave formation. If you draw a line around a fruit that you can easily peel and then peel the fruit and try and lay it out flat, you will see that the line is in a wave. The Earth is also rotating, so as the International Space Station orbits the Earth the places it passes over changes, which also has an affect on how the route appears.


Definition of sine wave?

A sine wave is the graph of y = sin(x). It demonstrates to cyclic nature of the sine function.


How could you print out a sine wave of your voice on a laser printer?

The voice is not a sine wave.


What will be the output of differentiator if the input is sine wave?

a phase shifted sine wave of a different amplitude.


Why you are considering sine wave as ac but not cosine wave?

Sine wave is considered as the AC signal because it starts at 0 amplitude and it captures the alternating nature of the signal. Cosine wave is just a phase shift of the sine wave and represents the same signal. So, either sine or cosine wave can be used to represent AC signals. However, sine wave is more conventionally used.


What is the Integration of sine wave?

cos wave


Determine second third and 12TH harmonic of a sine wave?

A sine wave has no harmonics. It only has a fundamental, so the value of the 2nd, 3rd, and 12th harmonics of a sine wave is zero.


Why it is named sinusoidal wave or sine wave in ac?

It's called a sine wave because the waveform can be reproduced as a graph of the sine or cosine functions sin(x) or cos (x).


How can you use sine wave in a sentence?

The sine wave, with its repeating pattern, can represent a single frequency with no harmonics.