Why satellite move only in circular orbit around earth?

Question

why is it not fallen on earth is it due to centrifugal force how it maintain give full explanation

Answer 1

Actually they ARE falling, Varun. But you have to have a great imagination to try to understand what I'll say : Let's say you are shooting a bullet with a rifle. You aim in front of you and pull the trigger. Now imagine there's no atmosphere around earth, and imagine the bullet travels at a very high speed. Since there's no friction, the bullet will keep its high speed. Sooner or later earth will start to attract the bullet to itself. The bullet will tend to fall on the ground, but as it does so, the ground will keep going down and down and the bullet will never reach it. You see, earth is a sphere.Try it with your fist as earth and a finger as a bullet. You'll notice that your finger will keep going around your fist.....just like a satellite, the moon, our planet and so on. Take note that the further you are up in space, the less gravity will attract the bullet. So this will enhance its orbiting around earth without falling on it. I know it was difficult to understand; but then, what is not.

Answer 2

First, satellites DO fall on the earth regularly. When a satellite reaches the end of its life, either through design or malfunction, it falls toward the earth and (usually) burns up in the atmosphere before ever reaching the ground.



Think of a satellite as falling "sideways". When launched, a rocket accelerates the satellite to a speed which causes it to "fall" sideways in its orbit with a force equal to the force of gravity pulling it down. The satellite tries to fly off into space, the earth tries to pull it down and so the satellite continues to "fall" sideways around and around the earth.



If you swing a weight on a string around and around, your hand gives it acceleration and the string acts like gravity. If you let go of the string while swinging the weight around your head, the weight flies in a straight line off into (space). That's what satellites are trying to do. If the earth's gravity suddenly stopped working, all the satellites (and the moon) would start moving in straight lines (and away from the earth).

Answer 3

There are many satellites that move in elliptical orbits as well.



The speed a satellite possesses will remain constant as long as no other forces act on it... like the Space Station - it has fuel & rocket motors to boost it's orbit every so often, because even at 300 miles up, particles of our atmosphere act as drag, and it slowly descends. About once per week or so, they do a small burn to boost it's orbit. If there *were* no atmosphere, it wouldn't be a problem.

Answer 4

A perfectly circular orbit would be pretty much impossible. Unless you are in a universe with only two gravitating bodies, even then...



Most satellites are in the upper part of the atmosphere, so the drag does eventually cause them to de-orbit, and fall back to Earth.

Answer 5

Satellites can be considered in orbit if they're moving fast enough that as they fall to Earth, they miss. But orbits aren't only circular. There are a number of interesting orbits that are more like ovals (elipses).

Answer 6

Actually it rotates in an elliptical orbit due to gravitational force of sun acting as centripetal force.

Answer 7

Gravity

Answer 8

Yes it is due to that force only. And when something reach at that height it keep on rotating

Answer 9

The same reason that earth doesn't fall into the sun.