Satellite Tracker – Live Map of Starlink and 30k Satellites
58 points
4 hours ago
| 8 comments
| satellitemap.space
| HN
hn111
33 minutes ago
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Half a year ago, I captured a photograph of a long train of satellites. However, when I navigate to that location using this tool, I don’t see any satellite train present at that specific timestamp.

I wonder if there are other satellites not included in this dataset, or if I should search way further from the location on the map

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kortilla
3 minutes ago
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A lot of the trackers miss the trains because trains occur within the first few orbits after a launch. So if they don’t start recording data until some delayed event, they miss it. I had this problem a lot with live night sky trackers not showing the trains despite me seeing them quite clearly.
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ikari_pl
1 hour ago
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I'm surprised that getting our low space to this state was even legal
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vachina
1 hour ago
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US runs the show. Anything is possible.
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scrollop
32 minutes ago
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Why are there demarcations towards the poles where the satellite density drops off? Seems Norway, Sweden and Finland have a much lower density of satellites .
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peddling-brink
8 minutes ago
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My understanding, and I’m not a rocket scientist, is that it’s easier to launch east/west and it costs a lot of delta v to move into a polar orbit.
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rolph
17 minutes ago
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polar orbits are hard, you have to take a big oblique track dipping into the lower lattitudes to run a trajectory that allows you to counter gravity.

the anti collision manuevers are hard as well.

orbits are simpler at lower lattitudes where you run a trajectory, close to parallel to the equator.

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kortilla
6 minutes ago
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_inclination

In order to cover those northern/southern extremes, more expensive high inclination orbits are required (in the US these are launched from California). They are more expensive because you’re no longer getting the rotational velocity of the earth for free in your orbital velocity.

So for a LEO constellation you want to minimize the launches to high inclinations and keep the bulk in those juicy easterly ones.

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gbalduzzi
31 minutes ago
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I wanted to ask the same thing.

There are two clearly demarcations both north and south

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Quiza12
2 hours ago
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Seeing them "slowly" move (but in reality incredibly quickly) reminds me of reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_(novel)
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ultimoo
1 hour ago
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are their orbits and trajectories computed ahead of time to avoid collisions?
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rolph
45 minutes ago
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its not the most intuitive setup but theres a lot of info available.

click on a dot and it will show up on a list to top left, click on an item in that list and you get a flyout menu to the top left with a bunch of data regarding the satellite.

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bagels
1 hour ago
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Yes.
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delichon
3 hours ago
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If you zoom in you can see them moving. Click on them to see their tracks. I'm surprised how random the orbits seem. It's too cloudy at the moment but maybe on a clear night I can check the accuracy by looking up.
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killjoywashere
3 hours ago
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With clear, dark skies, you definitely can.
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mrspacejam
3 hours ago
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cool site! i appreciate satellite trackers and sometimes leave satellite.love up in the background in orbit mode with the music on at home.
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Eduard
3 hours ago
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the geosynchronous satellites fall on and bounce off earth
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