Satellites

Celestial bodies revolving around a planet are called satellites. Moon is a natural satellite of the planet Earth. These days, the term satellite is used for manmade satellites, which revolve around the Earth. The closed path of a satellite around the Earth is called its orbit. The orbit may be circular or elliptical in shape. The characteristics, which describe an orbit, are apogee, perigee and inclination. Apogee is the farthest point, on the orbit of a satellite, from the Earth. Perigee is the nearest point, on the orbit of a satellite, from the Earth. The inclination of the orbit is deter- mined by the angle it makes with the equator.