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Sun-synchronous orbit

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences | 1999 | 472 words | Copyright

Sun-synchronous orbit A satellite orbit that remains constant in relation to the Sun, passing close to both poles and crossing the meridians at an angle. The orbit, at a height of about 860 km (one-seventh of an Earth radius), takes about 102 minutes and carries the satellite over a different swathe of territory at each pass, so every point on the surface is overflown every 12 hours, at the same solar times each day. Compare GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT; see also POLAR ORBIT.

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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Sun-synchronous orbit." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Sun-synchronous orbit." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-Sunsynchronousorbit.html

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