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Newton's Bulb
 

 

Sattrac

(Satellite Tracker)

What it should do
Predict the trajectory of satellites, alert you when nominated satellites come within range of where you are.

What is the point of such an app

Some people are into train spotting.... other hobbyists like to watch satellites pass overhead (e.g. the international space station).

How to do it
The Newton would calculate the satellite pass information using standard satellite data (TLE) available off the net. It would let the user know when a selected satellite is due to pass overhead (by setting an alarm/event). The location could be set from the location information stored on the Newton (and/or manually). The trajectory might also be plotted in other Newton space apps (e.g. skyguide).

The scripting for a basic tracker package is probably not particularly difficult. However, the maths and satellite theory is probably somewhat harder.

Information
Some information about the satellite data is clearly needed. Here are some links.


Status

This project is not under development

Contact person
No one

Acknowledgments
This idea/project was a favourite of Alex Humffray (RIP).