The other option is LEO, which stands for low Earth orbit. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Most of this kind of data is made available for free by the U.S. This allows them to alert people to changes in weather patterns almost in real time. So these orbits are primarily used for observation satellites designed to track changing weather conditions over broad areas.īeing stationary with respect to Earth means that GEO satellites are always within range of a downlink station, so they can send data back to Earth in minutes. Because the satellites are so high up, the resolution of that imagery is quite coarse, however. But GEO satellites are also appropriate when you want to monitor some region of Earth by capturing images over time. Such orbits are, of course, great for communications relays-it’s what allows people to mount satellite-TV dishes on their houses in a fixed orientation. That’s why GEO is said to be a geostationary orbit. Viewed from the ground, these satellites appear to be stationary, in the sense that their bearing and elevation remain constant. GEO satellites are positioned roughly 36,000 kilometers above the equator, where they circle in sync with Earth’s rotation. The former is shorthand for geosynchronous equatorial orbit. The orbits of Earth-observation satellites generally fall into one of two categories: GEO and LEO. But before you’ll be able to do that effectively, you need to learn a little about how modern satellite imagery works. Here’s a brief overview of how you, too, can access this kind of information and use it to your advantage.

Satellite image of address