Is it possible to make a satellite orbit Earth, the same way Earth orbits Sun? (Same orbital path pattern)
Earth's Orbit
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2$\begingroup$ You mean in an ellipse? $\endgroup$– mike stoneCommented Aug 14, 2022 at 21:53
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2$\begingroup$ I voted this down because it is easily answered by a web search for "satellite orbit". $\endgroup$– StephenG - Help UkraineCommented Aug 14, 2022 at 22:07
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2$\begingroup$ What does "the same way Earth orbits Sun" mean? Do none of the thousands of man-made satellites now orbiting the Earth orbit in "the same way Earth orbits Sun?" If not, then can you what is different about their orbits that distinguishes them from the "way Earth orbits Sun?" $\endgroup$– Solomon SlowCommented Aug 14, 2022 at 22:39
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1$\begingroup$ All orbits are ellipses. From the first paragraph of Wikipedia's "orbit" article; "...planets and satellites follow elliptic orbits, with the center of mass being orbited at a focal point of the ellipse..." Low Earth orbits necessarily are very nearly circular because an orbit can't be called "low" if any part of it is not close to Earth's very nearly spherical surface. $\endgroup$– Solomon SlowCommented Aug 14, 2022 at 22:49
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1$\begingroup$ Some artificial satellites are placed in highly elliptical orbits. E.g., en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molniya_orbit $\endgroup$– Solomon SlowCommented Aug 14, 2022 at 22:54
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1 Answer
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Orbits are described by their eccentricity, period, and semi-major axis.
If you mean can all three be the same then no, it is not possible. The sun and the earth have different standard gravitational parameters. Since $$\mu = 4\pi^2 \frac{a^3}{T^2}$$ if two orbits have the same semi-major axis $a$ and period $T$ then they must have the same standard gravitational parameter $\mu$. Since the earth and the sun do not have the same $\mu$ they cannot have both the same $a$ and the same $T$.
If you mean only can the eccentricity be the same, then yes. The eccentricity does not enter in to the above formula. So you can have identical eccentricities. You can also have either an identical period or an identical semi-major axis.
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$\begingroup$ Thank you for the answer. I cannot understand though. The only thing that i understand from that equation is pi. Please explain baring in mind that i have a high school knowledge of the subject. $\endgroup$– OriginCommented Aug 14, 2022 at 22:42
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$\begingroup$ @Origin I identified every term in that equation. $a$ is the semi-major axis, $T$ is the orbital period, and $\mu$ is the standard gravitational parameter. If it is the same orbital path pattern then it has the same $a$ and $T$, which is not possible for the earth and the sun because they have different $\mu$ $\endgroup$– DaleCommented Aug 14, 2022 at 22:44
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1$\begingroup$ @Origin it is the semi-major axis of the orbit. You said that is what you wanted, an orbit of the same pattern. That means same orbital semi-major axis, same eccentricity, and same period, right? $\endgroup$– DaleCommented Aug 14, 2022 at 23:14
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1$\begingroup$ I have updated the answer. Please be more clear in the future. Even if you didn’t know the terminology you could have made the effort describe the things you intended to remain constant $\endgroup$– DaleCommented Aug 14, 2022 at 23:34
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1$\begingroup$ Surely a satellite of the Earth cannot have a period of 1 year, or $a=1$ au. (Assuming the Earth is in its current orbit). $\endgroup$– PM 2RingCommented Aug 15, 2022 at 0:13