Astronomy Stack Exchange
Astronomy Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [satellite]

Questions regarding an object orbiting around another object due to the force of gravity.

A satellite is an object that orbits another body (typically much more massive than the satellite), which is known as the primary. Satellites can be natural (e.g. moons) or artificial (e.g. a man-made object orbiting another body). Natural satellites may have formed with the primary, or may have been captured by it in the past.

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How many (or percentage) satellites of Solar system planets have their orbits synchronized like the Moon (always facing earth)?

Mercury and Venus have no satellites. Then earth has moon (synchronized orbit). For Mars - both its satellites (Fobos and Deimos) also synchronized. Analyzing other planets is hard - too many satellites. Maybe someone knows percentage - all of them…
caasdads
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What is the detector size of LANDSAT 8's detector array?

According to the suggested tags, this must be the right forum: I found that for each band of Landsat 8 over 7000 detectors are on the array. Does anyone know how big each of the sensors is?
geoworks
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Help converting ECI to RA DEC

Using the library OrbitTools I can input a TLE and get back ECI coordinates. I want to find the RA DEC though, so I use right_ascension = atan(y / x) * 180.0 / PI; declination = acos(z/ sqrt(x* x + y * y + z * z)) * 180.0 / PI; I figure there is…
Gstein
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Why do satellites with greater altitude travel at a slower speed?

For example, a geostationary satellite travels slower than the ISS. What is going on?
Leo Codron
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what is a MIA satellite

I came across this sentence in a magazine: We sit outside the Lorne Community Hall, Victoria, watching the MIA satellite overhead. I wonder if the author is talking about an artificial satellite. Can one recognize an artificial satellite with…
user2598
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Fast moving lights moving west to east

at approximately 5:45 a.m. Est,I was 20 "stars" moving w to e faster than an airliner. They were about 60 degrees off the southern horizon and took several seconds to cross the sky here in central-western pennsylvania. Satellite's? March 1, 2020.
Jake Lanslow
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Angle formed between a satellite, a ground station, and then another Satellite

I am trying to check my work on calculating the angle between two sats and a ground station observing those two sats. I have the az and elevation angles to each sat from the ground station. What would be the equation to get the angle Sat1-GS-Sat2? I…
Shaps
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Confusing satellite-like object seen in night sky

I was staring up at the stars around 11:30 PM and noticed an object moving. It had no lights, and was not bright whatsoever. It was moving smoothly and in a straight line, except extremely fast, and dead silent. It was fairly large too, compared to…
xctyler
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Polar satellites for Global Navigation Systems

Why do we need 7 polar satellites for a navigation system like the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)?
Selva
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