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  2. Orbital inclination - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_inclination

    Orbits. The inclination is one of the six orbital elements describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit. It is the angle between the orbital plane and the plane of reference, normally stated in degrees. For a satellite orbiting a planet, the plane of reference is usually the plane containing the planet's equator.

  3. Beta angle - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_angle

    In orbital mechanics, the beta angle ( ) is the angle between a satellite 's orbital plane around Earth and the geocentric position of the Sun. [1] The beta angle determines the percentage of time that a satellite in low Earth orbit (LEO) spends in direct sunlight, absorbing solar radiation. [2] For objects launched into orbit, the solar beta ...

  4. Azimuth - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azimuth

    The azimuth is the angle formed between a reference direction (in this example north) and a line from the observer to a point of interest projected on the same plane as the reference direction orthogonal to the zenith. An azimuth (/ ˈæzəməθ / ⓘ; from Arabic: اَلسُّمُوت, romanized: as-sumūt, lit. 'the directions') [1] is the ...

  5. Spherical coordinate system - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spherical_coordinate_system

    The polar angle may be called inclination angle, zenith angle, normal angle, or the colatitude. The user may choose to ignore the inclination angle and use the elevation angle instead, which is measured upward between the reference plane and the radial line—i.e., from the reference plane upward (towards to the positive z-axis) to the radial line.

  6. Geostationary orbit - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geostationary_orbit

    A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit[a] (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit 35,786 km (22,236 mi) in altitude above Earth's equator, 42,164 km (26,199 mi) in radius from Earth's center, and following the direction of Earth's rotation. An object in such an orbit has an orbital period equal to Earth's ...

  7. Horizontal coordinate system - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_coordinate_system

    The horizontal coordinate system is a celestial coordinate system that uses the observer's local horizon as the fundamental plane to define two angles of a spherical coordinate system: altitude and azimuth. Therefore, the horizontal coordinate system is sometimes called the az/el system, [1] the alt/az system, or the alt-azimuth system, among ...

  8. GNSS reflectometry - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNSS_reflectometry

    As a GNSS satellite rises or sets, the elevation angle changes; the direct and reflected signals will generate an interference pattern. The frequency of this interference pattern can be used to extract the height of the antenna above the planar surface, the reflector height.

  9. Solar zenith angle - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_zenith_angle

    The solar zenith angle is the zenith angle of the sun, i.e., the angle between the sun’s rays and the vertical direction. It is the complement to the solar altitude or solar elevation, which is the altitude angle or elevation angle between the sun’s rays and a horizontal plane. [1][2] At solar noon, the zenith angle is at a minimum and is ...