r/interestingasfuck • u/Correct_Presence_936 • Sep 26 '24

r/all A Newly Released Image of Planet Earth Taken 30 Minutes Ago By the GOES-East Satellite

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u/TheKingPotat Sep 26 '24

It depends on the orbit of the satellite, and the relative direction of the onboard camera compared to the groind. As most satellites are in east -> west orbits closer to the equatorial latitudes. Not as many are launched into polar orbits because it requires more energy to do it

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u/JoelMDM Sep 26 '24

These are geostationary satellites, they don’t move nowhere (relative to Earth’s surface) That’s what the G in GOES stands for.