Meaning & use
geosynchronous orbit
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A path around Earth in which a satellite takes exactly one day to go around, matching Earth's rotation.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a geosynchronous orbit' or 'in geosynchronous orbit' (without 'a' when it means the state).
Patterns
- in geosynchronous orbit
- put something into geosynchronous orbit
- a satellite in geosynchronous orbit
The weather satellite was placed in geosynchronous orbit so it could watch the same region continuously.
Engineers calculated the fuel needed to reach geosynchronous orbit.
From geosynchronous orbit, the spacecraft completes one loop every 24 hours.
Word forms
| plural | geosynchronous orbits |
|---|
Common combinations
- place a satellite in geosynchronous orbit
- They placed a communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit.
- reach geosynchronous orbit
- The rocket needs several hours to reach geosynchronous orbit.
- geosynchronous orbit altitude
- The geosynchronous orbit altitude is about 35,786 kilometers.
- a satellite in geosynchronous orbit
- A satellite in geosynchronous orbit appears fixed over one spot.
Synonyms and how they differ
- geostationary orbit
- Use this when the satellite also stays above the same point on the equator; geosynchronous orbit is the broader term that does not require a fixed ground position.
Word family
- geosynchronous adjective
- Describing something that moves in time with Earth's rotation.
- geostationary adjective
- Describing an orbit where the satellite stays above one fixed point.
Commonly confused: geosynchronous orbit or geostationary orbit?
geosynchronous orbit vs geostationary orbit
A geostationary orbit is a special kind of geosynchronous orbit; not every geosynchronous orbit keeps a satellite above the same place.
Practice
A satellite in geosynchronous orbit completes one full trip around Earth in about how long?
Choose one answer.
Geosynchronous means matching Earth's rotation, which takes about 24 hours, so 'one day' is correct. 'One hour' is too short for any orbit, and 'one month' or 'one year' describe the Moon or Earth's own orbit, not a satellite in geosynchronous orbit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “geosynchronous orbit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.