Orbiting Bodies (Oxford AQA IGCSE Physics)

Revision Note

Orbiting Bodies

  • There are many orbiting objects in our solar system and they each orbit a different type of planetary body

Orbiting Objects or Bodies in Our Solar System

Body or object

What it orbits

Planet

Sun

Moon

Planet

Comet

Sun

Asteroid

Sun

Artificial Satellite

Earth

Orbits of artificial satellites

  • Artificial satellites are man-made satellites used for communication

  • Artificial satellites can be put into a geostationary or (low) polar orbit

Orbital paths of satellites around the Earth

Satellites orbiting around the North and South poles of the Earth are in a polar orbit. Satellites orbiting around the equator are in a geostationary orbit.
Geostationary and polar orbits around the Earth

Geostationary satellites

  • Geostationary satellites orbit above the Earth’s equator

    • The orbit of the satellite is 24 hours

    • At a height of 36 000 km above the Earth’s surface, much higher than polar satellites

    • Used for radio and telecommunication broadcasting around the world due to its high orbit

Geostationary orbit

Geostationary orbit satellite, for IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes
Some satellite phones and direct broadcast satellite television use geostationary satellites

Polar satellites

  • Polar, or low orbit, satellites orbit around the Earth’s north and south poles

  • These orbit much lower than geostationary satellites, at around 200 km above sea level

    • Used for monitoring the weather, military applications, and taking images of the Earth’s surface

    • There is a much shorter time delay for signals compared to geostationary orbit signals

    • The signals and images are much clearer due to the lower orbit

    • However, there is limited use in any one orbit because more than one satellite is required for continuous operation

Polar orbit

A polar orbit, for IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes
Some satellite phones use low-orbit artificial satellites if a more detailed signal is required

Last updated:

You've read 0 of your 10 free revision notes

Unlock more, it's free!

Join the 100,000+ Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

Did this page help you?

Ann Howell

Author: Ann Howell

Expertise: Physics Content Creator

Ann obtained her Maths and Physics degree from the University of Bath before completing her PGCE in Science and Maths teaching. She spent ten years teaching Maths and Physics to wonderful students from all around the world whilst living in China, Ethiopia and Nepal. Now based in beautiful Devon she is thrilled to be creating awesome Physics resources to make Physics more accessible and understandable for all students, no matter their schooling or background.

Caroline Carroll

Author: Caroline Carroll

Expertise: Physics Subject Lead

Caroline graduated from the University of Nottingham with a degree in Chemistry and Molecular Physics. She spent several years working as an Industrial Chemist in the automotive industry before retraining to teach. Caroline has over 12 years of experience teaching GCSE and A-level chemistry and physics. She is passionate about creating high-quality resources to help students achieve their full potential.