A geostationary satellite is in a circular orbit around the Earth. What is the radius of the orbit of the satellite?
Question
A geostationary satellite is in a circular orbit around the Earth. What is the radius of the orbit of the satellite?
Solution
A geostationary satellite orbits the Earth at a constant altitude of approximately 35,786 kilometers (22,236 miles) directly above the equator. This is the height at which the orbital period of the satellite matches the rotation period of the Earth, so the satellite appears to stay in the same spot in the sky.
To find the radius of the orbit, you need to add the radius of the Earth to the altitude of the satellite. The average radius of the Earth is about 6,371 kilometers (3,959 miles).
So, the radius of the orbit of a geostationary satellite is approximately 35,786 km (altitude of the satellite) + 6,371 km (radius of the Earth) = 42,157 kilometers or 26,199 miles.
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