The path of an Earth satellite that passes near or over the North and South Poles
Usually has an angle of inclination of 90 degrees to the equator. On every pass around the Earth, it passes over both the north and south poles. Therefore, as the Earth rotates to the east underneath the satellite which is travelling north and south, it can cover the entire Earth's surface. A polar orbiting satellite covers the entire globe every 14 days.
An orbit that passes over the polar regions from north to south
Orbit that is perpendicular to the plan of the Equator
A satellite in a polar orbit travels in a north-south direction (over the poles) around the earth, rather than the more traditional east-west direction. Polar orbits are useful for viewing the planet's surface. As a satellite orbits in a north-south direction, Earth spins beneath it in an east-west direction. As a result, a satellite in polar orbit can eventually scan the entire surface.
This is an orbit with its plane aligned parallel to the Earth's polar axis.
a satellite orbit passing over both poles of the Earth. During a 12-hour day, a satellite in such an orbit can observe all points on Earth.
Orbit of a satellite which passes over or near the Earth's poles.
Satellites in Polar orbits pass over the North and South poles. This is a commonly used track for low altitude observational satellites - as the satellite flies along its orbital track the earth rotates beneath it. Each flyby takes the satellite over a different part of the earth - eventually (after several orbits) the satellite will have flown above all of the earth's surface. This is very useful for military purposes! NOAA polar satellites fly over the UK and western Europe three or four times a day, providing regularly updated images of the weather systems below them.
An orbit whose path crosses the poles.
An orbit which passes over the poles.
An orbit that passes very close to the poles.
A highly elliptical orbit that maximizes the satellite's exposure to the northern portion of the earth.
An orbit whose path crosses the polar regions. This type of orbit is located at an altitude generally between 200 and 1000 km, and can provide sun-synchronous observations.
An orbit with its plane aligned in parallel with the polar axis of the earth.
An orbit parallel to polar axis of the earth
The orbit of a satellite whose path takes it over the poles of the Earth.
An orbital path located along the plane of the Earth's polar axis.
A satellite in a polar orbit passes above or nearly above both poles of the planet (or other celestial body) on each revolution. It therefore has an inclination of (or very close to) 90 degrees to the equator.