Re: Prediction Programs
Frank Reed (f-reed@metabien.com)
Thu, 04 Jun 1998 10:05:38 -0700
On Wed, 03 Jun 1998 20:50:12 -0500 Dave Mullenix
<djmullen@facstaff.wisc.edu> wrote:
>Jason E Felton wrote:
>>
>> Hi
>> Are there any programs that make predictions for satellites and
>> then draw their path on a starmap? If so, where do I get them from?
>> Jason Felton Andromedus@juno.com
>
>At least three that I know of. In chronological order, they are
>TRAKSAT, SkyMap and SKYSAT, which specializes in Iridiums and Iridium
>flares.
The one I like is SatSpy which runs under MS Windows. It has a very nice
user interface with all the Windows bells and whistles, including toolbars,
multiple subwindows, etc.
I run it and tell it which TLE file(s) to load. Then I tell it date and
time when I want predictions, and it shows a time plot of satellites which
will be visible from my location, along with their predicted magnitude
(brightness). I can select one and Satspy will show a sky plot depicting
the path of the satellite across the starry sky. I can attach time labels
with magnitude predictions to points I select along the path, then print it
out. On a typical evening I print 5 or 10 such pages, then retire to my
patio with flashlight (red lens), printouts, binoculars, timepiece, and a
glass of refreshment to enjoy the warm evenings here watching the birds as
they fly by. I usually see about 4 out of 5 that I look for.
Sayspy is shareware - you can download a free fully functional demo from:
http://www.satspy.com/
After you use the demo for a few days, you need to pay a registration fee
to continue using it - around $30 as I recall.
-- Frank Reed
Scottsdale, Arizona, USA 111.898W 33.484 N 1227 feet