About - Satellite Watch

How It Works

Satellite Watch is a real-time visualization tool that shows the positions of satellites orbiting Earth. The app uses a 3D globe to display satellite positions and provides a 2D map view for additional context. N2YO API key is needed to access real-time satellite position data.

You can:

Search for specific satellites by name or NORAD ID
View satellites currently above your location
Track the International Space Station (ISS)
Monitor Starlink and GPS satellites
Switch between day and night views of Earth

Data Sources

Celestrak API

The list of active satellites is fetched from Celestrak's database, which maintains the most comprehensive catalog of Earth-orbiting objects. This data includes satellite names, NORAD IDs, and orbital parameters.

N2YO API

Real-time satellite positions are obtained from N2YO's API, which provides accurate position data based on Two-Line Element Sets (TLEs). The API returns satellite positions, altitudes, and other orbital parameters. The data is updated every 10 seconds to provide near real-time satellite tracking.

Visualization

The app uses Three.js for 3D visualization and Leaflet.js for the 2D map view. Satellites are color-coded based on their orbit type:

Pink - Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites (160-2000 km)
Orange-red - Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites (5000-20000 km)
Azure - Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) satellites (~35786 km) satellites
Magenta - Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) satellites
White dot - Direction of satellite motion
Yellow-Green dot - Observer's position

Technical Details