SYNCHRONOUS ORBIT

Domain	Definition
Space	A circular orbit around the Earth�s equator, at a distance of 6.6 Earth radii. At this distance the orbital period is 24 hours, keeping the satellite "anchored" above the same spot on Earth. This feature makes the synchronous orbit useful for communication satellites: a satellite transmitting TV programs to the US, for instance, will always be in touch with the US if "anchored" above it, and receiving antennas on the ground only need to point to one fixed spot in the sky. (references)
	The circular orbit above the equator at a distance of 6.6 Earth radii, in which a spacecraft has an orbital period of 24 hours. Such satellites stay above the same spot on Earth and are therefore ideally suited for transmitting communications and broadcasts. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Specialty Definition: Synchronous orbit

Synchronous orbit: Any orbit in which an orbiting object has a period equal to the average rotational period of the body being orbited, and in the same direction of rotation as that body.

Note 1: A synchronous orbit need not be equatorial, but it usually is, ideally. A body in a nonequatorial synchronous orbit will, when observed from a fixed point on the orbited body, appear to move up and down, i.e., northward and southward. If the synchronous orbit is not perfectly circular, the orbiting body will appear to move back and forth, eastward and westward. The combination of these two motions will produce a figure-8 pattern as seen from the orbited body.

Note 2: A synchronous orbit about the Earth that is circular and lies in the equatorial plane is called a geostationary orbit.

Source: from Federal Standard 1037C

Anagrams: SYNCHRONOUS ORBIT

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "b-c-h-i-n-n-o-o-o-r-r-s-s-t-u-y"
	-4 letters: synchrotrons.
	-5 letters: isochronous, synchronous, synchrotron.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.