Occultation: As a GPS transmitting satellite starts to
rise above the horizon relative to a
low-earth-orbit receiver, its signal becomes
visible to that receiver before the
transmitter and receiver have a straight
line of sight, because the signal is bent by
the atmosphere. The degree of its bending
can be inferred from the known positions of
the two satellites and—when
cross-correlated with other data—provides
information about atmospheric temperature,
pressure, and humidity.