Glossary term: Satélite Artificial

Description: Un satélite artificial es un dispositivo fabricado por el ser humano que se envía al espacio para orbitar la Tierra u otros objetos del Sistema Solar, donde la gravedad lo mantiene en órbita. Los satélites artificiales pueden construirse para realizar diversas tareas, como tomar fotografías aéreas de la Tierra que ayuden a los meteorólogos a predecir el tiempo, o tomar imágenes de cuerpos astronómicos y galaxias lejanas, lo que ayuda a los científicos a comprender mejor el sistema cósmico. Los satélites artificiales también se utilizan principalmente para las comunicaciones en todo el mundo y para encontrar la propia posición, por ejemplo, el Sistema de Posicionamiento Global (GPS). El primer satélite artificial fue lanzado al espacio en 1957 por la Unión Soviética, con el nombre de Sputnik 1.

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Term and definition status: The original definition of this term in English have been approved by a research astronomer and a teacher
The translation of this term and its definition is still awaiting approval

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Related Media

Bright streaks form vertical bars, obscuring the starry sky

Satellite swarm versus night sky beauty, by Torsten Hansen, Germany

Caption: Third place in the 2021 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category Light pollution. This image of Venus and the Pleiades also shows the tracks of the Starlink satellites. These satellites which are located at an altitude of approximately 550 kilometres, are part of an ever-growing constellation of satellites aimed to provide worldwide internet access. The reflective surfaces of the satellites, coupled with the fact that they are orbiting around the Earth, means that astronomical observations which require very long exposures capture “tracks” of the satellites in their images. Astronomical images used for scientific research are not usable because the measurements and data will contain these “tracks”. Because the number of satellites is expected to grow, it is likely that in the near future there will be no place on Earth where these satellites will not be visible crossing the sky. This is a new type of light pollution that seems to be an upcoming problem we will have to deal with, as these satellites might prevent optimal observation of the sky.
Credit: Torsten Hansen/IAU OAE

License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) icons

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Valleys Deep and Mountains High

astroEDU educational activity (links to astroEDU website)
Description: Learn how radar altimetry from satellites works and how to put landscapes on paper.

License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) icons
Tags: Maps , Earth observation , Sentinel , Copernicus , Remote sensing , Altimetry , Radar
Age Ranges: 14-16 , 16-19
Education Level: Middle School , Secondary
Areas of Learning: Discussion Groups , Modelling , Social Research
Costs: Medium Cost
Duration: 2 hours
Group Size: Group
Skills: Analysing and interpreting data , Asking questions , Communicating information , Developing and using models , Using mathematics and computational thinking

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astroEDU educational activity (links to astroEDU website)
Description: How do satellites take images of the Earth surface and how do we analyse and use them?

License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) icons
Tags: Maps , Climate , Landsat , Earth observation , Sentinel , Copernicus , Remote sensing , Vegetation
Age Ranges: 14-16 , 16-19
Education Level: Middle School , Secondary
Areas of Learning: Social Research
Costs: Low Cost
Duration: 1 hour 30 mins
Group Size: Group
Skills: Analysing and interpreting data , Asking questions , Communicating information , Constructing explanations , Developing and using models , Engaging in argument from evidence , Using mathematics and computational thinking

Build Your Own Artificial Satellite

astroEDU educational activity (links to astroEDU website)
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License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) icons
Tags: Art , Creativity , Hands-on , Model
Age Ranges: 8-10
Education Level: Primary
Areas of Learning: Discussion Groups , Interactive Lecture , Modelling
Costs: Low Cost
Duration: 1 hour 30 mins
Group Size: Group
Skills: Communicating information , Developing and using models

Where on Earth am I?

astroEDU educational activity (links to astroEDU website)
Description: How do satellite-based positioning and GPS navigation work?

License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) icons
Tags: Clocks , Geography , Maps , GPS , Countries , Speed of light , Galileo
Age Ranges: 14-16
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Areas of Learning: Guided-discovery learning , Problem-solving
Costs: Low Cost
Duration: 1 hour 30 mins
Group Size: Group
Skills: Analysing and interpreting data , Asking questions , Communicating information , Constructing explanations , Developing and using models , Using mathematics and computational thinking

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