The Settings view lets you set your location, and customize the look and behavior of other views in the app.
These settings apply to all views: Sky, Orbit, Satellite, and Ground. To customize individual views, see the View Settings section below.
Location - Orbitrack needs to know your location on Earth in order to correctly plot the location of satellites in the sky. Enter the following information:
Latitude - degrees, minutes, seconds north or south of the equator
Longitude - degrees, minutes, seconds east or west of the prime meridian
Elevation - meters above sea level
Standard Time Zone - local time offset in hours from Universal Time (UTC). East is positive, west is negative. Enter the time zone for Standard Time only; Orbitrack will automatically correct for Daylight Saving Time.
Observe Daylight Saving Time - adjusts for daylight saving time during summer months if your location observes DST.
Use Current Location - Automatically determines your location from GPS or Wi-Fi. When your location is obtained this way, the location name is set to Current Location.
Choose Location From Map - Tap to use Apple or Google maps to choose a new location. After the map appears, tap-and-hold to drop a pin on your desired location. Elevation and time zone are not available from Apple or Google Maps, so Orbitrack will make a best guess.
Choose Location From List - Tap to choose your location from a searchable list of over 4,000 cities, organized by country. You can also search for a city by name.
Satellites Shown - This lets you choose the categories of satellites that you want to display. A satellite can belong to more than one category. For example, a satellite can be both a Brightest, and a Weather satellite.
Countries Shown - This lets you choose the country borders shown on the Earth in Orbit, Satellite, and Ground views.
Tilt for Augmented Reality - activate Augmented Reality mode when you tilt your device upward. Once activated, touch the screen anywhere to turn AR off. If your device does not have motion hardware, this option is disabled.
Virtual Reality in Landscape - displays the view in 3D stereo when you turn your phone to landscape (sideways) orientation. This option is only available with iPhones, not iPads or tablets. Note: this feature is currently available in the iOS version of Orbitrack only. We plan to add it to the Android version soon.
You can use any smartphone VR viewer like DodoCase or Google Cardboard with VR.
In Sky view, your phone renders the sky in the direction you're really looking. No 3D depth is apparent since - as in the real sky - objects are too far away to perceive their distances.
In Orbit view, the Earth stays centered, so as you look in different directions, you'll see different parts of the Earth.
In Satellite view, your selected satellite stays centered, so as you look in different directions, you'll see the satellite from different angles.
The Ground Track view cannot be shown in VR.
Voice Control - in VR mode, let you control Orbitrack with voice commands like "Sky view", "Orbit view", "Zoom in", "Zoom out", and "Stop".
Sound Effects - plays spacey ambient background music, and other sound effects. Sound effects are incompatible with voice control; Orbitrack can't make sounds and listen to you at the same time!
These options let you customize the appearance of the Sky, Orbit, Satellite, and Ground views individually.
Sky View - lets you customize the Sky view, which shows satellites as they appear in the sky from your location on Earth.
Realistic Horizon - shows a photographic horizon panorama of a lake. The lake becomes translucent at night. When turned off, areas below the horizon are shown with translucent green shading.
Show Daylight - changes the sky color with the cycle of day and night. When turned off, the sky background color is always black, and the horizon is always translucent.
Show Constellations - shows constellations as stick figures depicted in H.A. Rey's book "The Stars".
Show Alt-Azimuth Grid - shows lines of altitude and azimuth across the celestial sphere.
Show Star Names - shows labels for stars.
Show Planet Names - shows labels for the Sun, Moon, planets, and other solar system objects.
Show Selected Satellite Only - shows only your selected satellite. When turned off, shows all satellites brighter than the magnitude limit in the categories chosen for display. See the Satellites Shown settings.
Magnitude Limit - lets you set the magnitude of the faintest satellites that that Sky view will display. You can use this item to filter out many hundreds of faint satellites that are not observable with your eyes or with binoculas. Or you may want to show them all!
Orbit View - lets you customize the Orbit view, which shows where your satellite is orbiting over Earth using a 3D model of the globe.
Show Cities - shows labels for major cities on the Earth's surface.
Show Day and Night - shows Earth's night side shaded in a darker color. When turned off, the Earth is fully illuminated, without any night side shading.
Show Selected Satellite Only - shows only your selected satellite. When turned off, shows all satellites in the categories selected in the Satellites Shown settings. The Magnitude limit for Sky view does not apply to Orbit view.
Show Satellite Names - shows labels for all satellites, not just the selected satellite.
Show Earth Rotation - shows Earth's rotation when time flow animation is running. If turned off, your viewpoint is fixed relative to the Earth, so the Earth will not appear to rotate, but satellites and stars will precess relative to the fixed Earth.
Satellite View - let you customize the Satellite view, which shows a "bird's eye view" of the Earth from your selected satellite.
Show Cities - shows labels for major cities on the Earth's surface.
Show Atmosphere - shows the Earth's atmospheres with clouds. To see the Earth's surface unobscured by clouds, turn off this option.
Show Day and Night - shows Earth's night side shaded in a darker color. When turned off, the Earth is fully illuminated, without any night side shading.
Show Selected Satellite Only - shows only your selected satellite. When turned on, Orbitrack shows all satellites in the categories selected in the Satellites Shown settings. The Magnitude limit for Sky view does not apply to Satellite view.
Ground View - lets you customize the Ground Track view, which shows where your satellite is orbiting over Earth using a 2D map of the world.
Show Cities - shows labels for major cities on the Earth's surface.
Show Atmosphere - shows the Earth's atmospheres with clouds. To see the Earth's surface unobscured by clouds, turn off this option.
Show Day and Night - shows Earth's night side shaded in a darker color. When turned off, the Earth is fully illuminated, without any night side shading.
Show Selected Satellite Only - shows only your selected satellite. When turned off, shows all satellites in the categories selected in the Satellites Shown settings. The Magnitude limit for Sky view does not apply to Ground Track view.
Show Satellite Names - shows labels for all satellites, not just the selected satellite.
Show Earth Rotation - shows Earth's rotation when time flow animation is running. If turned off, your viewpoint is fixed relative to the Earth, so the Earth will not appear to rotate, but satellites and stars will precess relative to the fixed Earth.
Show Selected Satellite Orbit - shows the orbit of the selected satellite in all views except Satellite view.
Show Satellite Visibility Circle - shows the selected satellite's visibility circle in all views except Sky view. The satellite will be visible (above the horizon) from any part of the world inside this circle.
Show City Lights at Night - shows the Earth's night side with city lights in all views except Sky view.
Show Your Location - shows your location as a "You Are Here" marker on the Earth's surface in Orbit, Satellite, and Ground views.
These options let you configure your satellite alerts, or delete them. You can create alerts for satellite passes in the Info view.
Sort Lists by Pass Time - when turned on, Orbitrack sorts satellite lists by the order in which satellites pass overhead. When off, lists are sorted alphabetically by satellite name.
Visible Passes Only - when turned on, Orbitrack shows only visible passes in the Info view. A satellite pass must take place between dusk and dawn, and the satellite must not be eclipsed, in order to be visible. If this option is turned off, Orbitrack shows non-visible (e.g., daytime) passes as well as visible passes in the Object Info view.
Warning Time - the number of minutes that the alert will appear before an event takes place. For example, if you want to be alerted 5 minutes before the Space Station rises, select a warning time 5 minutes.
Scheduled Alerts - displays a list of all alerts that you have current set up. You can remove specific alerts by deleting them from this list.
Tap this button to make Orbitrack download new satellite orbit data. This download should take 10 - 30 seconds over Wi-Fi. If successful, Orbitrack reports the number of satellite orbits it has updated. If zero, your internet connection is probably broken.
New satellites are launched frequently, and their orbits change due to atmospheric drag. Orbitrack normally updates its satellite orbit data every day.