The Info view shows information about your selected satellite, and the times when it will pass over your location. You can set alarms for satellite passes, to alert yourself when a satellite pass is about to take place in real time. For hundreds of the brightest and best-known satellites, the Info view also displays English-language descriptions and images of the spacecraft.
On iPhones and Android devices, the Info view contains a Data | Description button that toggles between the "facts and figures" and the "plain language" description, along with images. Tap on image links within the descriptions to display full-screen images.
On iPads, the object's description will appear along side its numerical data. You can tap on image links in the descriptions to show full-screen images.
In the Data table, Orbitrack displays the following information for your selected satellite:
Names - the satellite's name(s) as provided by n2yo.com and celestrak.com.
Numbers - the satellite's NORAD tracking number.
Designation - the satellite's international designation.
Category - the category or categories that the satellite belongs to - for example "Brightest", "Space Stations", "Amateur Radio". The satellite is listed in these categories in the Search menu.
Launch Date, Launch Site - the time and place from which the satellite was originally launched.
Source/Country - the country or other organization from which the satellite originated. Some satellites are operated by multi-national organizations.
Visual Magnitude - how bright the object appears in the sky; smaller numbers imply a brighter object. Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, is magnitude -1.44; the faintest stars visible to the naked eye are about magnitude +6.5.
Distance - the range to the satellite from your current location, in kilometers.
Longitude, Latitude - the geographic point on the Earth over which the satellite is currently orbiting.
Altitude - the satellite's current altitude above mean sea level, in kilometers.
Velocity - the satellite's current velocity relative to the center (not surface) of the Earth, in kilometers per second. This differs from the satellite's "ground speed" by up to 0.46 km/sec due to the Earth's rotation.
Azimuth, Elevation - the satellite's current position relative to your local horizon. Azimuth is the satellite's direction around the horizon; North is 0°, East is 90°, South is 180° and West is 270°. Elevation is how high the satellite appears in the sky; at 0° the satellite is on the horizon, at +90° it is directly overhead at the zenith, and at -90° it is directly under your feet. For geostationary satellites, the azimuth and elevation should stay nearly fixed.
Right Ascension, Declination - describes the satellite's position in the Equatorial coordinate system used with printed star atlases. The Equatorial coordinate system rotates with the Earth, so a fixed star's RA and Dec do not change. For geostationary satellites, which revolve around the Earth once per day, the right ascension will also turn through 24 hours each day.
Constellation - the constellation that the satellite appears in right now.
Right Ascension, Declination - the rate of change in the satellite's Equatorial coordinates.
Total - the satellite's total rate of motion relative to the fixed stars, in degrees per second, and its direction of motion (position angle) relative to north in the sky.
Radial Velocity - the rate at which the satellite is moving toward or away from you, in kilometers per second.
Azimuth, Elevation - the rate of change in the satellite's Alt-Azimuth coordinates, relative to your local horizon.
Orbit Epoch - the date and time for which the satellite's orbit is computed. Since satellites change orbit frequently, if this date is more than a few weeks from the current time, you should update your satellite orbit data to get accurate results. See the Settings help.
Orbital Period - the amount of time that the satellite takes to complete one revolution around the Earth's center, not its (rotating) surface. Geostationary satellites, which do not move relative to the Earth's surface, have an orbital period of almost exactly 1 day.
Semimajor Axis - the satellite's average distance from the Earth's center, in kilometers, over the course of one orbit.
Perigee - the satellite's minimum distance from the Earth's surface, in kilometers, over the course of one orbit.
Apogee - the satellite's maximum distance from the Earth's surface, in kilometers, over the course of one orbit.
Eccentricity - describes the shape of the satellite's orbit. An eccentricity of zero is a perfectly circular orbit; the perigee and apogee are identical. The greater the eccentricity, the more elliptical (or oval-shaped) the orbit becomes, and the more the perigee and apogee will differ.
Inclination - the tilt of the satellite's orbital plane relative to the Earth's equator. An inclination with 0° means the satellite orbits exactly over the equator; 90° means the satellite has a perfectly polar orbit. An Inclinations greater then 90° means the satellite's orbital motion is in the opposite direction of the Earth's rotation.
Your selected satellites may transmit on amateur radio frequencies - even multiple frequencies. If so, Orbitrack displays the following information, obtained with permission from Mineo Wakita JE9PEL:
Downlink - The radio frequency (in MHz) that the satellite uses to transmit telemetry and other data to Earth.
Beacon - The frequency (in MHz) that the satellite's radio beacon transmits on, for identification purposes.
Mode - The radio modulation scheme and data rate that the satellite uses for its downlink and/or beacon transmissions.
Call Sign - The code embedded that identifies the satellite's radio transmissions.
Status - Whether the satellite is actively transmitting, or inactive, dead, decayed from orbit, etc.
Orbitrack updates this information whenever it updates its satellite orbit database. This happens automatically every day, or whenever you tap the Update Satellite Data button in the Settings.
For Iridium satellites which will flare in the next 7 days, Orbitrack displays the following information:
Date, Time - The peak flare time, in your local time zone.
Visual Magnitude - The predicted stellar magnitude of the flare at its brightest.
Reflection Angle - The angular distance from a perfect reflection at the peak flare time, as seen from your location.
Distance - The satellite's distance from your location at the peak flare time.
Azimuth, Altitude - The position in the sky where the flare will appear, as seen from your location.
A satellite may pass over your location on the Earth several times per day. The satellite may be visible during a pass, or it may not (because the pass happens in daylight, or because the satellite is eclipsed during the entire pass.) Orbitrack shows the times and circumstances of all passes for your selected satellite during the next 24 hours, whether the satellite is visible during the pass or not.
Due to varying atmospheric conditions and orbital perturbations, pass times should only be considered accurate to about one minute.
Rises and Sets - when the satellite appears on the horizon. The satellite's azimuth on the horizon when it rises or sets is also shown.
Culminates - when the satellite appears highest in the sky. The satellite's elevation above the horizon at the moment of culmination is also shown.
Eclipsed - when the satellite moves into (or emerges from) the Earth's shadow. If a satellite is not eclipsed (or does not emerge from eclipse) during a pass, this event will not be shown
For any of the above events, tap the adjacent "Clock" button to show the event or set an alarm for it. If you show the event, Orbitrack will switch to Sky view, set the time to the event, and center the satellite in the sky.
If you set an alarm for the event, your device will create an alert which appears later, when the event is about to take place in real time. For example, if you want to observe a Space Station pass later tonight, you can alert yourself 5 minutes before the ISS rises. Orbitrack does not have to be running for the alert to appear later - it will show up just like a text message or any other notification.
You can configure your satellite alerts, or delete them, in the Settings.