Geosynchronous satellite
![Satellites in geostationary orbit.](/Images/godic/202501/15/Geostationaryjava3Dsideview0914.gif")
![A geostationary satellite is put in orbit around the Earth at an altitude chosen to cause it to orbit at the same rate as the Earth turns. An observer at any position where the satellite is not beneath his horizon or it is hidden by hills etc. will always see it in exactly the same position in the sky unlike stars and planets that move continuously.](/Images/godic/202501/15/Geostationary0914.png")
A geosynchronous satellite is a satellite in geosynchronous orbit, with an orbital period the same as the Earth's rotation period. Such a satellite returns to the same position in the sky after each sidereal day, and over the course of a day traces out a path in the sky that is typically some form of analemma. A special case of geosynchronous satellite is the geostationary satellite, which has a geostationary orbit – a circular geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earth's equator. Another type of geosynchronous orbit used by satellites is the Tundra elliptical orbit.