What is the difference between a polar orbit and a geostationary orbit?

Polar orbits take the satellites over the Earth’s poles. Geostationary satellites take 24 hours to orbit the Earth, so the satellite appears to remain in the same part of the sky when viewed from the ground.

How do geostationary satellites differ from polar satellites?

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 is the advantage of polar orbit compared to a geostationary orbit?

Polar Orbiting satellites – advantages and disadvantages. Since the orbit is lower than for the Geostationary satellites, the data resolution is higher. They provide global coverage, necessary for NWP models and climatic studies.

What is the orbital period of a polar satellite?

98 to 102 minutes
Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES) are placed in circular sun-synchronous (see below) orbits and their altitudes usually range from 700 to 800 kilometers, with orbital periods of 98 to 102 minutes.

How do polar orbiting satellites work?

Polar-orbiting satellites circle the globe from the North Pole to the South Pole 14 times a day. They image the entire Earth at least twice daily, from 512 miles above its surface. Earth rotates counterclockwise underneath the path of the satellites, resulting in a different view with each orbit.

Why are polar orbiting satellites called sun synchronous satellites?

Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) is a particular kind of polar orbit. This means they are synchronised to always be in the same ‘fixed’ position relative to the Sun. This means that the satellite always visits the same spot at the same local time – for example, passing the city of Paris every day at noon exactly.

What are geostationary and polar satellites Class 11?

Geostationary Satellite: It is the satellite which appears at a fixed position and at a definite height to an observer on earth. Polar Satellite: It is the satellite which revolves in polar orbit around the earth.

What is one benefit of polar orbiting environmental satellites?

Polar-orbiting satellites cover the whole world in higher resolution than GOES satellites, allowing for a broader and more detailed view of weather patterns and environmental conditions.

What are two disadvantages of polar orbiting satellites?

The disadvantages are that the satellite…

• Cannot see the whole earth’s surface at any one time.
• The path of each orbit changes due to the earth’s rotation so no two images are from the same location.

What is the difference between geostationary and geosynchronous orbit?

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. Geostationary orbits fall in the same category as geosynchronous orbits, but it’s parked over the equator.

What is the difference between geosynchronous orbit and polar orbit?

Geosynchronous orbit is far enough away from the earth that the orbit period is exactly 24 hrs. So it can stay over the same point on the earth. However this point must be at the equator. Polar orbit is an orbit that passes over both the north and south poles.

What is a polar-orbiting satellite?

Polar-orbiting satellites provide a more global view of Earth, circling at near-polar inclination (the angle between the equatorial plane and the satellite orbital plane — a true polar orbit has an inclination of 90 degrees).

What is a geostationary orbit?

A geostationary (GEO=geosynchronous) orbit is one in which the satellite is always in the same position with respect to the rotating Earth. The satellite orbits at an elevation of approximately 35,790 km because that produces an orbital period (time for one orbit) equal to the period of rotation of the Earth (23 hrs, 56 mins, 4.09 secs).

How long does it take for a satellite to orbit the Earth?

Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) The period of a satellite, or how long it takes to orbit the Earth one time, is dependent on its orbital altitude. Satellites in LEO, like the International Space Station, take about 90 minutes to orbit the Earth. Satellites in MEO take about 12 hours to do the same.