Orbit: Satellite Pass Alerts

Star apps tell you what that star is called. Orbit tells you when to look up, and where. The Space Station rises in the northwest at 20:14 tonight, culminates 62° up at 20:19, and vanishes into the Earth's shadow low in the southeast at 20:23. Orbit answers that one question, and gives you the three numbers you actually need: when, which bearing, how high. POINT THE PHONE, FIND THE SATELLITE Turn until the marker meets the pointer on the compass dial, then raise the phone until the tilt bar lines up. The screen tells you "turn right 34°", "raise 12° higher", and lights up when you are on target. No AR, no camera required. REAL ORBITAL MECHANICS, NOT A LOOKUP TABLE A full SGP4 propagator runs on your phone — the same model the published element sets are designed to be used with. Rise, culmination and set are computed to the second, along with the moment the satellite crosses into the…