Table of Contents
How are geostationary and polar satellites different?
Polar orbiting satellites provide imagery and atmospheric soundings of temperature and moisture data over the entire Earth. Geostationary satellites are in orbit 22,000 miles above the equator, spin at the same rate of the Earth and constantly focus on the same area.
What are the difference between the two types of orbit?
A circular orbit has an eccentricity of 0, while a highly eccentric orbit is closer to (but always less than) 1. A satellite in an eccentric orbit moves around one of the ellipse’s focal points, not the center. (NASA illustration by Robert Simmon.) Inclination is the angle of the orbit in relation to Earth’s equator.
What is the difference between geostationary orbit and geosynchronous orbit?
While the geostationary orbit lies on the same plane as the equator, the geosynchronous satellites have a different inclination. This is the key difference between the two types of orbits.
What is a polar orbit used for?
A satellite in a polar orbit will pass over the equator at a different longitude on each of its orbits. Polar orbits are often used for earth-mapping, earth observations, capturing the earth as time passes from one point, reconnaissance satellite, as well as for some weather satellite.
What is the difference between geosynchronous andleo?
LEO carries a spacecraft around the earth every 80 to 120 minutes or so. Geosynchronous orbits are at the other extreme at around 26,000 miles altitude, on 1/10th the way to the moon. Well above the atmosphere, objects in this orbit circle the globe only once every 24 hours, and so appear stationary above the surface.
What are the different types of orbits in space?
1 Geosynchronous Orbit. About 35,786 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, satellites are in geostationary orbit. 2 Geostationary Orbits. While geosynchronous satellites can have any inclination, the key difference to geostationary orbit is the fact that they lie on the same plane as the equator. 3 Semi-Synchronous Orbits.