geostationary

American  

[jee-oh-stey-shuh-ner-ee] / ˌdʒi oʊˈsteɪ ʃəˌnɛr i /

Also geosynchronous

adjective

1. of or relating to a satellite traveling in an orbit 22,300 miles (35,900 km) above the earth's equator: at this altitude, the satellite's period of rotation, 24 hours, matches the earth's and the satellite always remains in the same spot over the earth.

   geostationary orbit.

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geostationary British  

/ ˌdʒiːəʊˈsteɪʃənərɪ /

adjective

1. Also: geosynchronous.  (of a satellite) in a circular equatorial orbit in which it circles the earth once per sidereal day so that it appears stationary in relation to the earth's surface

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Etymology

Origin of geostationary

First recorded in 1960–65; geo- + stationary

Example Sentences

The National Weather Service then chimed in on Twitter to say that two “reddish pixels” were detected on a Geostationary Lightning Mapper, which detects lightning.

From New York Times • Aug. 13, 2022

Eutelsat operates 30-times higher in the sky in what's termed Geostationary Orbit, at 36,000km in altitude.

From BBC • Jul. 26, 2022

Geostationary satellites such as Kacific’s generally offer a slower Internet connection, compared with the low-altitude orbits used by Starlink, however.

From Scientific American • Mar. 18, 2022

That's the same band used by NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite to provide real-time weather information – notably for severe weather and flooding.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2022

One of their colleagues used a device called a Geostationary Lightning Mapper, which, according to NASA, “can detect the momentary changes in an optical scene, indicating the presence of lightning.”

From Seattle Times • Jan. 2, 2022