What is a satellite orbit?
An orbit is the path the satellite takes through space. Some satellites are "geostationary", which means that the satellite always appears to be in the same place above the earth (it follows the movements of the earth). These types of satellites are often used to collect weather information. Some other satellites, like AQUA and TERRA, follow polar orbits. This means that the satellites travel in a circle around the earth, from the north pole to the south pole and back. For TERRA and AQUA (705 km above the earth), this circle is repeated every 98 minutes. This circular orbit doesn't move (it stays fixed in space), but the earth spins, so the satellite appears in different parts of the sky each time it passes over.
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