Geostationary orbit

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/geostationary-orbit

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How high is Geostationary orbit?Approximately 35,786 kilometers (22,236 miles) above the Earth's mean sea level
2. What is the orbital type?Circular geosynchronous orbit with zero inclination, directly above the Earth's equator
3. What is the orbital period?Precisely one sidereal day (23 hours, 56 minutes, 4.091 seconds)
4. Why does a geostationary satellite stay in one place in the sky?Its orbit is perfectly circular and directly above the equator, so its angular speed is the same as the Earth's. This balance makes it appear fixed to anyone on the ground.
5. What can geostationary satellites help us with?They carry TV and radio signals, help phones and internet talk across the world, and watch the weather so we can know about storms and climate.

Geosynchronous Orbit: An orbit with a period matching Earth's rotation, appearing to stay over the same longitude.
Inclination: The angle between a satellite's orbital plane and Earth's equatorial plane.
Orbital Period: The time it takes for a satellite to complete one full revolution around a celestial body.
Latency: The time delay in data transmission caused by the distance signals must travel.