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Dictionary of Space Concepts

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Geosynchronous orbit

(Last edited: Thursday, 31 August 2023, 5:13 PM)
Projection of the path traced by geosynchronous satellites of different inclinations. Source: Wikipedia

Projection of the path traced by geosynchronous satellites of different inclinations. Source: Wikipedia

Short Definition:
Geosynchronous orbit is an orbit with orbital period matching Earth's full rotation time.

Detailed Definition:
Objects in geosynchronous orbit appear to trace out a path on the sky, typically a figure-8 shape every day. The exact path depends on orbit's eccentricity and inclination, but the object can be observed in the same place on the sky, same time every day. This type of orbit is useful for example for Earth observing satellites.

Etymology:
From ancient greek geo (Earth) + synchronous

Sample Sentence(s):
A satellite is placed in geosynchronous orbit above Europe.

Translations:

French:
orbite géosynchrone

German:
geosynchrone Umlaufbahn

Polish:
Orbita geosynchroniczna

Swedish:
geosynkron bana

Links to Videos/Articles:
https://www.space.com/29222-geosynchronous-orbit.html
https://gisgeography.com/geosynchronous-geostationary-orbits/

» Dictionary of Space Concepts

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