Editing Synchronous orbit (section)

== Examples ==
An astronomical example is [[Pluto]]'s largest moon [[Charon (moon)|Charon]].<ref>{{cite journal |title = The Pluto-Charon system |author = S.A. Stern |year = 1992 |journal = Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics |volume = 30 |page = 190 |quote=Charon's orbit is (a) synchronous with Pluto's rotation and (b) highly inclined to the plane of the ecliptic. |bibcode=1992ARA&A..30..185S|doi = 10.1146/annurev.aa.30.090192.001153 }}</ref>
Much more commonly, synchronous orbits are employed by artificial satellites used for communication, such as [[geostationary satellites]].

For natural satellites, which can attain a synchronous orbit only by [[tidal locking|tidally locking]] their parent body, it always goes in hand with [[synchronous rotation]] of the satellite. This is because the smaller body becomes tidally locked faster, and by the time a synchronous orbit is achieved, it has had a locked synchronous rotation for a long time already.{{citation needed|date=November 2011}}

The following table lists select [[List of Solar System objects by size|Solar System bodies]]' masses, sidereal rotational periods, and the semi-major axises and altitudes of their synchronous orbital radii (calculated by the formula in the above section):<!--Could someone change the last column from "yes" and "no"s to instead be checks and x's? I wanted to do that using emojis but it might no render for everyone, and I don't know how to input the Wikipedia checkmarks and x's.--> 

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Body !! Body's Mass (kg) !! Sidereal Rotation period !! Semi-major axis of synchronous orbit (km) !! Altitude of synchronous orbit (km) 
!Synchronous orbit within [[Hill sphere]]?
|-
| [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercury Fact Sheet |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/mercuryfact.html |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>|| 0.33010×10<sup>24</sup> || 1407.6 h || 242,895 km||240,454 km
|No
|-
| [[Venus]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Venus Fact Sheet |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/venusfact.html |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>|| 4.8673×10<sup>24</sup> || 5832.6 h|| 1,536,578 km||1,530,526 km
|No
|-
| [[Earth]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Earth Fact Sheet |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/earthfact.html |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>|| 5.9722×10<sup>24</sup>|| 23.9345 h|| 42,164 km||35,786 km
|Yes 
|-
| [[Moon]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Moon Fact Sheet |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/moonfact.html |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>|| 0.07346×10<sup>24</sup>|| 655.72 h|| 88,453 km||86,715 km
|No
|-
|[[Mars]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mars Fact Sheet |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/marsfact.html |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>
|0.64169×10<sup>24</sup>
|24.6229 h
|20,428 km
|17,031 km
|Yes 
|-
|[[Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Asteroid Fact Sheet |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/asteroidfact.html |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>
|0.09393×10<sup>22</sup>
|9.074 h
|1,192 km
|723 km
|Yes
|-
|[[Jupiter]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jupiter Fact Sheet |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/jupiterfact.html |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>
|1898.13×10<sup>24</sup>
|9.925 h
|169,010 km
|88,518 km
|Yes
|-
|[[Saturn]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saturn Fact Sheet |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/saturnfact.html |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>
|568.32×10<sup>24</sup>
|10.656 h
|112,239 km
|51,971 km
|Yes
|-
|[[Uranus]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Uranus Fact Sheet |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/uranusfact.html |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>
|86.811×10<sup>24</sup>
|17.24 h
|82,686 km
|57,127 km
|Yes
|-
|[[Neptune]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Neptune Fact Sheet |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/neptunefact.html |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>
|102.409×10<sup>24</sup>
|16.11 h
|83,508 km
|58,744 km
|Yes
|-
|[[Pluto]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pluto Fact Sheet |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/plutofact.html |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref>
|0.01303×10<sup>24</sup>
|153.2928 h
|18,860 km
|17,672 km
|Yes
|}