Do geostationary satellites orbit the earth or just stay in one place above the earth?
Geostationary satellites orbit in the earth’s equatorial plane at a height of 38,500 km. At this height, the satellite’s orbital period matches the rotation of the Earth, so the satellite seems to stay stationary over the same point on the equator. Since the field of view of a satellite in geostationary orbit is fixed, it always views the same geographical area, day or night. This is ideal for making regular sequential observations of cloud patterns over a region with visible and infrared radiometers. High temporal resolution and constant viewing angles are the defining features of geostationary imagery.
