Visual SAT-Flare Tracker 3D

MENU SATELLITES

This menu allows the user to manage the satellites and to control their draw options. The menu consists in the following items:
Plot Orbit

By checking this item, all the enabled satellites will be plotted around the globe. Also their orbits will be plotted if the "Show Orbit" flag is active and the Hide All Orbit Traces item is not checked. (Please see the Manage Satellite List Item to learn how to set the "Show Orbit" flags).

ECEF Plotting

By checking this item, the satellite orbits will be plotted with respect to an Earth Centered Earth Fixed coordinate system (ECEF) instead of an Earth Centered Inertial system. The ECEF Plotting will show the satellite orbit as it is seen by an observed fixed on the Earth. This means that the orbit won't appear as ellipses since the satellite motion is combined with the Earth rotation.This representation is useful to clearly see above which locations the satellite will pass during one or more orbits. As an example, the following picture represents two orbit cycles of the International Space Station plotted with respect the ECEF system.

Image
Fig 1.

While for LEO satellites the ECEF plotting results only into a small orbit rotation around the globe, for more distant satellites, the orbit may appear quite complex. As an example, the Fig. 2 depicts two orbit cycles of a GPS satellite as it would be seen by a GPS receiver fixed on the Earth surface. In the About window of the Help bar menu, another example of complex ECEF plotting can be found.

Image
Fig. 2.

Project Orbit On The Earth

By checking this item, all the plotted orbits will be perpendicularly projected on the globe surface. This function is useful to see above which locations distant-Earth satellites will pass or to read the visibility circles without using a 2D representation.

ECEF Projection

By checking this item, all the plotted orbits will be perpendicularly projected with respect to an Earth Centered Earth Fixed coordinate system. This option works exactly as in the ECEF Plotting but acts on the orbit Projection. As an example, the following picture shows the projection on the Earth surface of the GPS orbit visible in the Fig. 2.

Image
Fig. 3.

Hide All Orbit Traces

By checking this item, all the orbits and their projections will be hidden. When many orbit cycles are processed, this function is useful to reduce the rendering time when the orbit traces are not necessary.

Satellite Info

By clicking on this item a new window will be open that reports detailed information about the satellite position. The window is visible in the following picture.

Image

(X,Y,Z) represent the satellite position in the ECI coordinate system. (vX, vY, vZ) represent the satellite velocity components while vW the overall velocity. DEC, RA, EL, and AZ, represent respectively declination, right ascension, elevation and azimuth of the satellite with respect to the observer (topocentric coordinates).

Download TLE from Internet

By clicking on this item, a new window will appear that allows the user to download TLE from the Internet. Click here for more details.

Manage Satellite List

By clicking on this item, a new window will appear that allows the user to manage the satellite list. Click here for more details.

BACK

By Simone Corbellini