What Are the Different Types of Orbits?
The path of one celestial body or artificial object as it revolves around another is called an orbit. An artificial satellite traveling around the moon, the moon moving around the Earth and the Earth revolving around the sun are all examples of objects in orbit.
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Closed Orbits
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A closed orbit refers to the orbit of an object that constantly travels around another object and creates either an elliptical or circular shape. The Earth's orbit around the sun is an example of a closed orbit.
Open Orbits
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Far more complex than closed orbits, open orbits follow mathematical shapes like hyperbolas and parabolas. Unlike circles, parabolas and hyperbolas form curves whose ends never join. An object traveling on an open orbit will not be at the exact same point in space next year as it is this year.
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Low-Earth Orbit
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Instead of the shape of the orbit or trajectory, low-earth orbit pertains to the altitude of the object orbiting earth in a closed orbit. An object that obtains orbit while remaining as close as possible to Earth, approximately 323 miles from the surface, is traveling in low-earth orbit. A space shuttle, the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope all maintain low-earth orbits.
Synchronous Orbits
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When an object, like a satellite, orbits the Earth at the same rate the Earth spins, it is moving in a geosynchronous or geostationary orbit. An object that shifts one degree per day and passes over the same section of Earth at the same time each day moves in a sun synchronous orbit.
Directional Orbits
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If an object's or spacecraft's orbit travels from west to east, it is considered to be prograde. This is the usual state of orbit throughout our solar system. Retrograde orbits occur when an object moves east to west.
Other Orbits
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An object's orbit can also be described by where it crosses the Earth or another planet. An equatorial orbit is any orbital path that lies above the Earth's equator. At this time, all objects that orbit the Earth must cross over the equator at some point. Polar orbits or near polar orbits occur when an object's orbit travels over a planet's poles.
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