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Weed_O_Whirler t1_ir68hk2 wrote

The only orbits which pass over the same part of the Earth each time around are geosynchronous orbits (geostationary orbits are geosynchronous orbits which have a 0 degree inclination- aka, they are directly above the equator). All other orbits will "track across" the globe. The path they take across the globe is referred to as their ground track. There are special satellite orbits called "Earth-Repeat orbits which will, after every so many revolutions, repeat the same ground track. However, these are a special case and take special planning to achieve.

To understand why, you can think of how the satellite orbits- it doesn't care the Earth is rotating. Essentially, it's orbit would not change if the Earth was rotating once every 24 hours (like it does now), or once every 12 or 36. If you were observing the satellite from a "fixed point" relative to the Earth- aka, a point orbiting the Sun with the Earth, but not orbiting the Earth, you would see each satellite repeating it's orbit with the Earth rotating underneath. To see some good pictures of how all of this works, I like this write-up.

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Passeride OP t1_ir6ptng wrote

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Thank you kind and gifted stranger

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