Orbiting Bodies (Oxford AQA IGCSE Combined Science Double Award): Revision Note

Orbiting Bodies

• There are many orbiting objects in our solar system and they each orbit a different type of planetary body

Orbiting Objects or Bodies in Our Solar System

Orbits of artificial satellites

• Artificial satellites are man-made satellites used for communication

• Artificial satellites can be put into a geostationary or (low) polar orbit

Orbital paths of satellites around the Earth

Geostationary satellites

• Geostationary satellites orbit above the Earth’s equator

  • The orbit of the satellite is 24 hours

  • At a height of 36 000 km above the Earth’s surface, much higher than polar satellites

  • Used for radio and telecommunication broadcasting around the world due to its high orbit

Geostationary orbit

Polar satellites

• Polar, or low orbit, satellites orbit around the Earth’s north and south poles

• These orbit much lower than geostationary satellites, at around 200 km above sea level

  • Used for monitoring the weather, military applications, and taking images of the Earth’s surface

  • There is a much shorter time delay for signals compared to geostationary orbit signals

  • The signals and images are much clearer due to the lower orbit

  • However, there is limited use in any one orbit because more than one satellite is required for continuous operation

Polar orbit