Question

A surveillance satellite circles the earth at a hight of h miles above the surface. Suppose that d is the distance, in miles, on the surface of the earth that can be observed from the satellite. find an equation that relates to central angel (theta) to the hight h.

Answer 1

If d is the distance between the two points of line of sight tangency, then d = (2µ/360)(2Pir)

Pi = 3.14
r = the radius of the Earth = 3963 miles
µ = arccos(r/(r + h)