Editing Sun-synchronous orbit (section)

{{Short description|Type of geocentric orbit}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}

[[File:Heliosynchronous orbit.svg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|Diagram showing the orientation of a Sun-synchronous orbit (green) at four points in the year. A non-Sun-synchronous orbit (magenta) is also shown for reference. Dates are shown in white: day/month.]]

A '''Sun-synchronous orbit''' ('''SSO'''), also called a '''heliosynchronous orbit''',<ref name="shcherbakova">{{cite journal|last1=Tscherbakova|first1=N. N.|last2=Beletskii|first2=V. V.|last3=Sazonov|first3=V. V.|journal=Cosmic Research|volume=37|issue=4|pages=393–403|date=1999|url=http://www.maik.ru/cgi-perl/search.pl?type=abstract&name=cosres&number=4&year=99&page=393|bibcode=1999KosIs..37..417S|title=Stabilization of heliosynchronous orbits of an Earth's artificial satellite by solar pressure|access-date=19 May 2015|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231934/http://www.maik.ru/cgi-perl/search.pl?type=abstract&name=cosres&number=4&year=99&page=393|url-status=dead}}</ref> is a nearly [[polar orbit]] around a planet, in which the satellite passes over any given point of the planet's surface at the same local [[mean solar time]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nptel.ac.in/courses/105108077/module2/lecture6.pdf|title=SATELLITES AND ORBITS}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://marine.rutgers.edu/cool/education/class/paul/orbits2.html#2|title=Types of Orbits|website=marine.rutgers.edu|access-date=2017-06-24|archive-date=22 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822021519/https://marine.rutgers.edu/cool/education/class/paul/orbits2.html#2|url-status=dead}}</ref> More technically, it is an orbit arranged so that it [[Precession|precesses]] through one complete revolution each year, so it always maintains the same relationship with the Sun.