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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Orbits & Gravity

Geostationary orbit

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

nounCommon term

In astronomy & space, geostationary orbit means: A circular orbit about 35,786 km above the equator in which a satellite takes one day to circle Earth, so it seems to stay fixed over the same spot.

In Turkish: yer durağan yörünge, sabit yörünge

How it is used

Used for communications, TV broadcasting and weather satellites. Engineers shorten it to GEO and talk about the 'orbital slots' assigned to countries or operators. Satellite dishes on houses point at satellites in this orbit.

Example sentences

  1. Türksat satellites work in geostationary orbit, so home dishes never need to move.

  2. Reaching geostationary orbit can take days or even months after launch.

Common collocations

  • geostationary orbit (GEO)
  • geostationary satellite
  • orbital slot
  • geostationary transfer orbit
  • satelliteAn object that orbits a planet or another body. Most often it means a machine sent into orbit for communication, navigation, weather forecasting or observation.
  • low Earth orbitAn orbit relatively close to Earth, usually below about 2,000 km. The space station and most Earth observation satellites fly in low Earth orbit.
  • orbitThe curved path that an object such as a planet, moon or satellite follows around another object because of gravity. As a verb, it means to move along this path.
  • orbital periodThe time an object takes to complete one full orbit around another object. Earth's orbital period around the Sun is about 365.25 days.

More terms: Orbits & Gravity

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