GPS is a system. It’s made up of three parts: satellites, ground stations, and receivers. Satellites act like the stars in constellations—we know where they are supposed to be at any given time. The ground stations use radar to make sure they are actually where we think they are.
Your phone, or any device with a GPS, is programmed to know where all the satellites are at any given time. The phone uses that information—along with the amount of time the signal took to reach it—to figure out how far away the satellites are. By doing that, it computes its location.
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Click here to download this video (1920x1080, 70 MB, video/mp4). What is a solar eclipse? A solar eclipse happens when, at just the right moment, the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth. Learn all about solar eclipses in this video! "What Is a Solar Eclipse?" video transcript Whoa! It’s the middle of the day—so why is the sky getting dark? It’s a solar eclipse! A solar eclipse happens ...
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A star is a hot, glowing ball of gas. When you look up in the night sky, you can see countless twinkling stars. Can you see any stars during the daytime? Of course! The light of daytime comes from our closest star: the Sun.
A gravitational wave is an invisible (yet incredibly fast) ripple in space. Gravitational waves travel at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). These waves squeeze and stretch anything in their path as they pass by.
These particles and X-rays can damage satellites and interrupt radio signals, which can cause cell phones and GPS units to malfunction. To prepare for these bursts of solar energy, NASA spaecraft are continually monitoring the Sun’s activity.
The active, changing layerThe ionosphere is a very active part of the atmosphere, and it grows and shrinks depending on the energy it absorbs from the Sun. The name ionosphere comes from the fact that gases in these layers are excited by solar radiation to form ions, which have an electrical charge.
Satellites help us do this with GPS! A group of more than 20 satellites make up the Global Positioning System, or GPS. These satellites can help figure out your exact location. Why are satellites important? The view that satellites like GPS have allows them to see large areas of Earth at one time.
