The new Starlink satellites made rounds on the Internet recently when they were captured on video by photographer Marco Langbroek in the Netherlands. The video showed the latest satellites from SpaceX moving at speeds of up to 16,000 mph in Earth’s orbit at the height of more than 260 miles from the surface of the earth. However, that led to many of us asking how and more importantly can we see these satellites?
A helpful Reddit user has come to the rescue by creating a tool that will enable you to see when the Starlink satellites are making their way over your city and in which direction. The tool’s page states, ‘This page helps you calculate when the Starlink satellites are expected to be above your location. Please note that this is not 100% accurate, as the satellites are currently burning their thrusters and moving to their final orbits (after launching on May 23, 2019).’
The tool has been created using calculations that were made by a Redditor known as Jens T. Satre. The tool merely automates the process that was highlighted by the Reddit user previously. The page of the tool reads, ‘This page was built entirely by modifying the code by Jens T. Satre. Nothing belongs to me, all I did was take the excellent implementation on Satre’s TLE Tracker, hardcoded the values required for Starlink tracking, and built a different UI.’
Nonetheless, many of us have a hard time with mathematics, and any way of avoiding it altogether is quite welcome actually. The page also tells the number of people that have used the tool – the number stands at fourteen after four days of the tool creation. You can choose your location either by city or by entering values of latitude and longitude. It also features a map that shows the position of the Starlink satellites in real-time.
What do you think of this amazing tool?