How do stationary space satellite stay in place, and not go around the earth with out falling?
In: Physics
One – The earth’s gravitational force that a body experiences reduces as the body move away from earth. So if you go further and further away from earth – at some particular distance (very large distance) you will be “almost free from earths gravitational attraction”.
Two – If you tie a ball to a string and whirl it you will notice that the ball will fly outwards (away from the center of rotation / your hand). So this means that when you rotate something about a centre point – there is an “radially outward force” that the revolving body will experience (which is directed radially outwards from the centre).
Now satellites stay in their designated locations (stationary orbits) by using both the above concepts. They are so far up – away from the earth that the gravitational force they experience is counterbalanced by the “radially outward force” created by virtue of their revolution (i.e. speed of revolution around earth). The speed of revolution around the earth, of the satellites, is matched to the rotational speed of earth around its own axis (which makes the satellite seem stationary with reference to earth).
Latest Answers