To see this, swing an object on a string vertically (so it is circling side to side and up and down)

To orbit, the Satellite must be on a circular (or elliptical) the grove park inn orbit with the centre of the Earth at the centre (or focus) of the orbit. (To be completely geostationary it needs to be circular, but an elliptical one can have the same period, it will merely drift east and west over the course of an orbit)
Of all the paths that are circles with the earth at their centre, the only ones which orbit in the same direction as the Earth rotates are ones around the equator Others would go from pole to pole, and so would not be geostationary but instead go North and South over the course the grove park inn of an orbit.
To see this, swing an object on a string vertically (so it is circling side to side and up and down) - you will notice that it only circles 1. When the string is taught and 2. around where you are holding the string. (above your head won't work as you are also introducing a constant downwards force, which isn't present for satellites)
To orbit, the grove park inn the Satellite must be on a circular (or elliptical) orbit with the centre of the Earth at the centre (or focus) of the orbit. (To be completely geostationary the grove park inn it needs to be circular, but an elliptical one can have the same period, it will merely drift east and west over the course of an orbit)
Of all the paths that are circles with the earth at their centre, the only ones which orbit in the same direction as the Earth rotates are ones around the grove park inn the equator Others would go from pole to pole, and so would not be geostationary but instead go North and South over the course of an orbit.
To see this, swing an object on a string vertically (so it is circling side to side and up and down) - you will notice that it only circles 1. When the string is taught and 2. around where you are holding the string. (above your head won't work as you are also introducing a constant downwards force, which isn't present for satellites)
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