A student claims that a satellite with a 24-hour orbital period can be parked…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Fields and their consequences · Fields and their consequences
Problem
A student claims that a satellite with a 24-hour orbital period can be parked directly above New Delhi (latitude 28.6∘ N) and will therefore hover over the city.
(a) State the two essential conditions a satellite must satisfy in order to appear stationary to an observer on the Earth.
(b) Explain clearly why such a satellite must orbit directly above the Earth’s equatorial plane rather than above a higher-latitude location.
(c) If the satellite is launched with the correct period but in an orbit inclined 30∘ to the equatorial plane, describe qualitatively the apparent motion an equatorial observer would see during one day.