The Satellite Dish

A satellite dish is a round, bowl-shaped antenna. It picks up signals from satellites orbiting high above Earth. Satellite dishes bring TV channels, internet, and other data to homes and businesses.

How Satellite Dishes Work

Satellites in space send signals down to Earth. A satellite dish catches these signals with its curved surface. The curve focuses the signals onto a small receiver in the center of the dish.

The receiver sends the information to a box inside your home. The box turns the signals into TV channels or internet data. This is how people in remote areas can watch hundreds of TV channels.

Satellite Dishes Through the Years

The first home satellite dishes appeared in the 1970s and 1980s. They were huge, sometimes 10 feet wide. Only a few people had them because they were very expensive.

Today's satellite dishes are much smaller, about the size of a large pizza. Millions of homes have them. Satellite technology also brings internet to people who live far from cities where cable and fiber lines do not reach.

Fun Facts

• Early home satellite dishes were as big as 10 feet across.
• TV satellites orbit Earth at about 22,000 miles above the ground.
• Satellite internet can reach people living in the most remote places on Earth.

Did You Know?

Communication satellites orbit the Earth at the exact same speed the Earth spins, so they always stay above the same spot on the ground.