geosynchronous orbit

An orbit around the Earth in which a satellite has a period exactly equal to the Earth's sidereal rotation period of 23 hours 56 minutes 4.1 seconds. If such an orbit is circular and in the plane of the Earth's equator, the satellite appears to be practically stationary in the sky and the orbit is described as geostationary. A geostationary orbit is at an altitude of 35,900 kilometres. A satellite in a geosynchronous orbit inclined to the Earth's equatorial plane appears to trace out a figure-of-eight shape over the course of a day.