astronomy

List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit

List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit rather than just read about it. In short: This is a list of satellites in geosynchronous orbit, including satellites in geosynchronous orbit. These satellites are commonly used for communication purposes, such as radio and television networks, back-haul, and direct broadcast.

Key takeaways

List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

This is a list of satellites in geosynchronous orbit, including satellites in geosynchronous orbit. These satellites are commonly used for communication purposes, such as radio and television networks, back-haul, and direct broadcast. Traditional global navigation systems do not use geosynchronous satellites, but some SBAS navigation satellites do. A number of weather satellites are also present in geosynchronous orbits. Not included in the list below are several more classified military geosynchronous satellites, such as PAN. A special case of geosynchronous orbit (GSO) is the geostationary orbit, which is a circular geosynchronous orbit at zero inclination (that is, directly above the equator). A satellite in a geostationary orbit appears stationary, always at the same point in the sky, to ground observers. Popularly or loosely, the term "geosynchronous" may be used to mean geostationary. Specifically, Geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) may be a synonym for geosynchronous equatorial orbit, or geostationary Earth orbit. To avoid confusion, geosynchronous satellites that are not in geostationary orbit are sometimes referred to as being in an inclined geostationary orbit (IGSO). Some of these satellites are separated from each other by as little as 0.1° longitude. This corresponds to an inter-satellite spacing of approximately 73 km. The major consideration for spacing of geostationary satellites is the beamwidth at-orbit of uplink transmitters, which is primarily a factor of the size and stability of the uplink dish, as well as what frequencies the satellite's transponders receive; satellites with discontiguous frequency allocations can be much closer together. As of July 2023, the website UCS Satellite Database lists 6,718 known satellites. Of these, 580 are listed in the database as being at GEO. The website provides a spreadsheet containing details of all the satellites, which can be downloaded. Listings are from west to east (decreasing longitude in the Western Hemisphere and increasing longitude in the Eastern Hemisphere) by orbital position, starting and ending with the International Date Line. Satellites in inclined geosynchronous orbit are so indicated by a note in the "remarks" columns.

Western hemisphere

Neither Hemisphere

Eastern Hemisphere

In transit

Historical

References

External links SatcoDX, a useful 3rd party resource Lyngsat, a useful 3rd party resource Satbeams – satellite footprints TrackingSat – List of satellites in geostationary orbit Zarya.info's list of satellites in geosynchronous orbit, updated daily

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit

In research: List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Communications satellites, Lists of satellites, Satellite broadcasting, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit in simple terms?

Why does List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of satellites in geosynchronous orbit.