Geosynchronous orbit
A geosynchronous orbit is a
geocentric orbit that has
the same orbital period as
the sidereal rotation period
of the Earth. It has a
semi-major axis of 42,164 km
(26,200 miles). In the
special case of the
... > full story
Space observatory
A space observatory is any
instrument in outer space
which is used for
observation of distant
planets, galaxies, and other
outer space objects. A large
number of observatories have
been launched into orbit,
... > full story
Space debris
Space debris or orbital
debris, also called space
junk and space waste, are
the objects in orbit around
Earth created by man that no
longer serve any useful
purpose. They consist of
everything from entire spent
... > full story
Equatorial bulge
An equatorial bulge is a
planetological term which
describes a bulge which a
planet may have around its
equator, distorting it into
an oblate spheroid. Because
of a planet's equatorial
bulge, its gravitational
... > full story
Browse Reference Articles
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Neptune's natural satellites
Neptune has 13 known moons. The largest by far is Triton, discovered by William Lassell just 17 days after the discovery of Neptune itself. It took a hundred years to discover the second, Nereid. ... > more -
Dysnomia (moon)
Dysnomia, is a moon of the dwarf planet Eris. The satellite is about 60 times fainter than Eris, and its diameter is estimated to be approximately eight times smaller. Astronomers now know that three ... > more -
Uranus' natural satellites
Uranus has 27 known moons. The first two moons (Titania and Oberon) were discovered by William Herschel on March 13, 1787. Two more moons (Ariel and Umbriel) were discovered by William Lassell in ... > more -
Van Allen radiation belt
The Van Allen radiation belt is a torus of energetic charged particles (i.e. a plasma) around Earth, trapped by Earth's magnetic field. When the belts "overload", particles strike the upper ... > more -
Spitzer Space Telescope
Spitzer Space Telescope (formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility [SIRTF]) is an infrared space observatory, the fourth and final of NASA's Great Observatories. The first images taken by SST ... > more -
Militarisation of space
The militarisation of space1 is the placement and development of weaponry in outer space by the militaries of the ... > more -
Satellite television
Satellite television is television delivered by way of communications satellites, as compared to conventional terrestrial television and cable ... > more -
Outer space
Outer space, also simply called space, refers to the relatively empty regions of the universe outside the atmospheres of celestial bodies. Outer space is used to distinguish it from airspace (and ... > more -
Geomagnetic storm
A geomagnetic storm is a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere. Associated with solar coronal mass ejections, coronal holes, or solar flares, a geomagnetic storm is caused by a solar ... > more
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