Table of Contents
- 1 How do you calculate the time period of a satellite?
- 2 Do satellites orbit around the equator?
- 3 Why do satellites orbit the equator?
- 4 Where do satellites orbit the earth in the atmosphere?
- 5 What altitude do satellites orbit the earth?
- 6 Why do satellites in geostationary orbit appear stationary over the equator?
- 7 What type of orbit does a weather satellite have?
How do you calculate the time period of a satellite?
Note: We can also solve this equation by directly using the formula given to find time period of a satellite at a height of\[h\]from earth surface which is given as \[T=2\pi \sqrt{\dfrac{{{\left( {{R}_{E}}+h \right)}^{3}}}{g{{R}_{E}}^{2}}}\].
Do satellites orbit around the equator?
Satellites can orbit Earth’s equator or go over Earth’s North and South Poles . . . or anything in between. They orbit at a low altitude of just a few hundred miles above Earth’s surface or thousands of miles out in space. The choice of orbit all depends on the satellite’s job.
Is the Earth’s equatorial plane perpendicular to its axis of rotation?
The ecliptic is the plane of the earth’s orbit around the sun, as illustrated in Fig. 4.1. The earth’s axis of rotation, which passes through the north and south poles, is not perpendicular to the ecliptic….4.2 Geocentric right ascension-declination frame.
| Precession epoch | RA | Dec |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 AD | 10h 8.4min (152.10°) | + 11° 58′ |
What is Satellite period?
Note: The time in which a body rotates once on its axis is called period of revolution, The period of a satellite is the time it takes it to make one full orbit around an object. We know that The period of the earth as it travels around the sun is one year. We have to know these terms to solve this question.
Why do satellites orbit the equator?
Because satellites orbit the center of mass of the planet which is in the center of the planet, more or less. So to orbit the Earth and stay above one place they need to orbit the equator.
Where do satellites orbit the earth in the atmosphere?
You can consider most satellites to be in space, but in terms of the Earth’s atmosphere, they occupy regions called the thermosphere and the exosphere.
What is Earth’s orbital plane?
The orbital plane of a revolving body is the geometric plane in which its orbit lies. By definition, the reference plane for the Solar System is usually considered to be Earth’s orbital plane, which defines the ecliptic, the circular path on the celestial sphere that the Sun appears to follow over the course of a year.
Which orbit has an orbital plane at equatorial plane?
ecliptic
The plane that contains the orbit of the Earth (known as the “ecliptic”) is tilted by 7.25 degrees relative to the equatorial plane of the Sun. As calculated in this article, the Earth’s orbit intersects the Sun’s equatorial plane on June 4 and December 6 each year.
What altitude do satellites orbit the earth?
between 160 and 2,000 kilometers
The majority of satellites orbiting the Earth do so at altitudes between 160 and 2,000 kilometers. This orbital regime is called low Earth orbit, or LEO, due to the satellites’ relative closeness to the Earth. Satellites in LEO typically take between 90 minutes and 2 hours to complete one full orbit around the Earth.
Why do satellites in geostationary orbit appear stationary over the equator?
At this height, the satellite’s orbital period matches the rotation of the Earth, so the satellite seems to stay stationary over the same point on the equator. Since the field of view of a satellite in geostationary orbit is fixed, it always views the same geographical area, day or night.
What are the characteristics of geosynchronous satellites?
Of particular interest are the satellites in geosynchronous orbit. All fixed satellite dishes on the ground pointing toward the sky, such as TV reception dishes, are pointed toward geosynchronous satellites. These satellites are placed at the exact distance, and just above the equator, such that their period of orbit is 1 day.
What is the orbital track for a sun-synchronous satellite in near-polar orbit?
This figure illustrates the orbital track for a sun-synchronous satellite in near-polar orbit. The orbital track relative to the Earth’s surface is due to a combination of the orbital plane of the satellite coupled with the rotation of the Earth beneath the satellite.
What type of orbit does a weather satellite have?
Nearly all satellites are in LEO, including most weather satellites. GPS satellites, at about 20,000 km, are considered medium Earth orbit. The higher the orbit, the more energy is required to put it there and the more energy is needed to reach it for repairs.