SatConst Orbital Tracker / Astronomy Engine

Welcome! This tool lets you explore live satellite orbits in interactive 3D.

🔹 Data

• Source: CelesTrak — Two-Line Element (TLE) sets
• Update: On Cloudflare deploys, TLE data is served from server-side KV/cache refreshes. Local development can still use temporary browser cache for testing. The average TLE age is the orbital epoch age, not the cache pull time.
• Accuracy: Positions are computed with the SGP4 model — real satellites may drift slightly due to maneuvers or drag

🔹 Controls

• Mouse / Touch: drag to rotate, scroll/pinch to zoom, right-drag to pan
• Hover: show orbit + satellite details
• Idle Spin: toggle the automatic idle Earth rotation from View Controls
• Click: select / deselect a satellite
• Alt + hover Earth: view local time under cursor
• Double-Alt: pin a ground-track pass
• Esc: clear pins or close panels
• Astronomy Engine: focus a planet, choose a target obscuration in Astronomy Engine Controls, then Ctrl-click its surface to jump to the next local solar eclipse for that spot at that obscuration when possible.
• Keyboard:
  • Space: play / pause time
  • . (dot): step forward 1 second
  • O: toggle orbit lines
  • L: toggle states/provinces

🔹 Features

• Search satellites by name or NORAD ID
• Browse all satellite pages
• Filter by satellite groups (Starlink, GPS, etc.)
• Show/hide orbit paths and ground tracks
• Realistic sun position and Earth shadow
• True-scale Astronomy Engine view: Sun, planet, and moon body sizes use real relative ratios instead of fake oversized spheres. Distances use an adjustable AU scale for navigation, with optional guide lines, labels, and invisible pick helpers to keep tiny bodies findable.