SOLAR SYSTEM

UNIVERSE

SATELLITESICY BODIES

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Communications and weather satellites always appear at the same place in the sky, because these satellites are
A
stationary in space
B
orbiting Earth with a 24 hour period
C
beyond the pull of the Earth’s gravitational field
D
moving at a speed just short of escape velocity
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -A highly elliptical orbit with inclination of 63.4° and orbital period of one sidereal day (roughly 24 hours). Such a satellite spends most of its time over a designated area of the Earth.

Detailed explanation-2: -Telecommunications satellites are usually placed in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO). GEO is a circular orbit 35 786 kilometres above Earth’s equator and follows the direction of Earth’s rotation.

Detailed explanation-3: -GEO satellites orbit the earth at a fixed distance of 35, 786 km. The speed of the satellite at this distance matches the earth’s rotation, thereby keeping the satellite stationary over a particular point on the earth.

Detailed explanation-4: -A satellite maintains its orbit by balancing two factors: its velocity (the speed it takes to travel in a straight line) and the gravitational pull that Earth has on it. A satellite orbiting closer to the Earth requires more velocity to resist the stronger gravitational pull.

There is 1 question to complete.