Satellite Archives - GIS Geography

The Big Satellite List. 50 Satellites. 30 Words or Less.

Think you know remote sensing satellites? Think again. This satellite list has the top 50 satellites that silently orbit the Earth. In 30 words or less.

IKONOS Satellite Imagery: First Commercial Space-based Imaging

IKONOS provides panchromatic, natural-color, color-infrared and stereo images for cartographic, remote sensing and photogrammetric applications.

SRTM Shuttle Radar Topography Mission

During an 11-day mission, Space Shuttle Radar Topography (SRTM) mission captured Earth’s elevation at 1 arc-second (30 meters) for over 80% of the Earth.

Polar Orbit vs Sun Synchronous Orbit

A polar orbit satellite travels pole-to-pole. For a sun-synchronous orbit, it passes over any given point on Earth’s surface at the same local solar time.

Why the Atmospheric Window Matters in Earth Science

The atmospheric window allows specific bands of electromagnetic (EM) radiation to reach the Earth. On the other hand, absorption bands prevent EM radiation.

Geosynchronous vs Geostationary Orbits

While geosynchronous satellites can have any inclination, the key difference is that satellites in geostationary orbit lie on the same plane as the equator.

Trilateration vs Triangulation – How GPS Receivers Work

Have you ever wondered how your GPS receiver works? They use a technique called trilateration, which measures distances, not angles as in triangulation.

The Geoid – Hypothetical Mean Sea Level

The geoid measures mean sea level and gravity. The GRACE and GOCE satellites are providing the most accurate measurements of the geoid to this date.

15 Free Satellite Imagery Data Sources

If you want free satellite imagery, there’s no better way to do it then follow this incredibly useful guide. We rank the best sources of free satellite data.

How to Download Free Sentinel Satellite Data

If you want to download Sentinel satellite data, then you’ve come to the right place. We show you step-by-step how to obtain free Sentinel satellite data.