Dad - another balcony conversation

Over yet another evening cup of tea during my stay there.

Dad's talking to the dog on the opposite terrace, and then comments on 'how all the TV dish antennae there are cluttered together'. I was quite happy just adding in a casual "hmmm....true", and then he springs the question at me:

"ani antennae okate side enduku face chesthandhi chepu "

"Why are all the antennae facing the same direction?" 

I mumbled something about the telecommunication satellite being in that direction.

I could have stopped there...but my mind continued to ask it's own questions. And the teaser was "don't satellites move?". Thus I stumbled on my own response.

He said "okay I'll give you a clue....they are about 36,000 kms from Earth"

I was like "Aah, Geo Stationary Satellites" and I thought I'd answered well enough.

Next question "so what is a Geo Stationary satellite?"

It's funny how you think you know what it is until you are asked to tell. And that's when you realize you are only peripherally aware, but don't know it in full. (wonder how many spaces in life we act based on the presumption that we know)

Back to satellites....the satellites are put into an orbit at 36,000 kms from equator, where their rotation speed is synchronized with that of the earth. As they are moving at the same speed as earth's rotation, at any point from earth they will be seen from the same coordinates.

And that's why all the telecommunication dishes face the same direction.

If that wasn't gyan enough for one evening, dad went onto asking "do you know how GPS works?"

An omg moment. I could only go on gushing about how brilliant it was and how I couldn't have survived Bangalore without it, nor cognizant now....and how much I love it....but he was neither distracted nor fazed from his question.

"how does it work?"

I drew a blank. :(

He explained.....starting from the principle of triangulation 'how in field work they would find mining locations in jungles (he was a geologist) using the principle of triangulation to pin coordinates, and that's the same principle GPS uses...... three satellites at any point'

it was going over my head......so he tried again "ok, there's you, and there's me and there's this plant....the three points used to pin location are three satellites.....and this is your car....and it needs to get here...." 

Felt good to know. And what never ceases to amaze is dad's curiosity about the world, his sense of wonder.....it enables living in a whole different dimension almost. I simply love it.