Satellites

Geostationary Quick Facts

High orbit

Earth-orbiting

One orbit takes 24 hours

Appears stationary in the sky as seen by a ground-based observer

Polar Orbiting Quick Facts

Low orbit

Passes above or nearly above both poles

Circular orbits

Follows the path of the sun

• Placed approximately 35,800 km (22,300 mi) vertically

• Directly over the equator

• Revolves in the same direction the Earth rotates (west to east)

• Can see approximately 40% of the Earth's surface

Advantages:

• As it is at a greater height, it covers a large geographical area

• High temporal resolution data

Disadvantages:

• Provides poor coverage at higher latitude places usually greater than 77 degrees

• Due to the high orbit, the spatial resolution of the data is not as great

Advantages:

• Since these are closer to the Earth, they have a higher spatial resolution

• Excellent views of the polar regions

Disadvantages:

• Not always above the same location continuously

  • • • continuous monitoring is not possible

• Cannot see the whole surface of the Earth at any one time