Lesson 1
Meteorological Satellite Orbits
Lesson 2
Review of Radiative Transfer
Lesson 3
Visible Image Interpretation
Lesson 4
Infrared Image Interpretation
Lesson 5
Multispectral Image Interpretation
Lesson 6
Fires & Aerosols
Lesson 7
Winds
Lesson 8
Sounders
Lesson 9
Fog and Stratus
Lesson 10
Thunderstorm
Lesson 11
Winds
Lesson 12
Hurricanes
Lesson 13
Global Circulation
Lesson 14
Synoptic Scale
Lesson 15
Local Circulation
Lesson 16
Satellite Oceanography
Lesson 17
Precipitation

Low Earth Orbiting Satellites

Satellites in a sunsynchronous orbit circle the earth from pole-to-pole. Satellites in this orbit view all regions of the earth in a single day and are good for global weather studies. Sunsynchronous orbits are also referred to as polar orbits as the polar regions are frequently viewed, for example 14 times a day. They are also called Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites because they orbit the Earth at a much lower altitude than the GEO satellites. Here is a recent composite view of the south polar region. In the tropical regions a LEO satellite flies by a particular region of the earth twice a day -- for example once in the afternoon and once in the evening. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) typically maintains two polar orbiting satellites. One views the United States at approximately 2 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time and the second views regions of the US around 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. local time.



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