2.3 | Satellites That Never Move? GEO Orbits | Rocket Science for Everyone with Yale’s Marla Geha episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 4, 2026 · 13 MIN

2.3 | Satellites That Never Move? GEO Orbits | Rocket Science for Everyone with Yale’s Marla Geha

from YaleCourses · host YaleCourses

Have you ever wondered how satellites provide constant TV signals or real-time weather updates? In this lesson, we venture further from Earth to explore Geosynchronous Earth Orbits (GEO) and the incredibly valuable subset, geostationary orbits. Discover why these satellites appear to 'hover' over a single point on Earth, their crucial applications from communication to surveillance, and the unique challenges and solutions for managing them in space.🎯 Learning Objectives• Understand the definition and distinction between geosynchronous and geostationary orbits.• Explain how Kepler's Third Law relates to the orbital period and distance of GEO satellites.• Identify the practical benefits and applications of geostationary satellites, such as communication and Earth monitoring.• Discuss the challenges of operating satellites in GEO, including communication delays and radiation.• Describe the allocation of geostationary slots and the concept of graveyard orbits for end-of-life satellites.📚 About the CourseThis course is an intuitive introduction to rocket science in our everyday lives.Modern life increasingly depends on technology provided by Earth-orbiting satellites, from detailed weather predictions to broad-band internet and GPS. How are satellites launched into orbit and how do they work once they get there? Why are rockets used to get into orbit and how are they different from airplanes? This introductory course is aimed at a wide non-technical audience and is appropriate for all ages. 📺 Watch the full playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9mgdi4rNexC1fSWLlpQx_Gjj_0DhjVE 🎓 Enroll on Coursera for assessments and a certificate: https://www.coursera.org/learn/rocket-science-for-everyone 🌐 Explore more learning opportunities on Yale Online: https://online.yale.edu/courses/rocket-science-everyone #RocketScienceForEveryone #YaleOnline #GEOSatellites #GeosynchronousOrbit #SpaceScience #STEMEducation #LearnOnline Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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2.3 | Satellites That Never Move? GEO Orbits | Rocket Science for Everyone with Yale’s Marla Geha

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