Who can
use this app?
Anyone on planet earth.
With the release of version 2, the app is now global. It uses GPS or manual location entry
outside the US or Canada.
Which satellites are included in
the flyby report?
The most interesting ones! The team at spaceweather.com
monitors current launch events and thousands of objects in
Earth orbit to report the brightest, coolest, and most newsworthy
flybys. We sort through the confusion of Earth orbit so you
don't have to. The
app countdown does not exactly match the actual flyby. It's
off by minutes. What's wrong?
If you have an iPod, it syncs
its clock to your PC or Mac. The flyby app uses the iPod clock
to tell you when to look. If your clock is off, your flyby
countdown will be wrong. You can fix this by correcting the
clock on your computer and re-syncing your iPod."
How can I find out which satellites
are currently being tracked?
All of the satellites and objects currently being tracked
are listed in the "About" section of the app. You
can also see the current satellite set here
How will I know if the satellite
database changes?
The app uses Apple Push Notification. You will be
notified when satellites are added and when interesting things
are happening in the night sky.
Sometimes I don't have any flybys
in my report. What gives?
No satellites are flying directly over your location for
a few days. This happens on rare occasions, and it is temporary.
Wait a few days.
If I enter a latitude and longitude that are far away,
the flybys are off. How can I fix that?
In "Worldwide" mode the app uses the internal timezone to calculate flybys. If
you set the latitude and longitude for a far-away location, you need to also adjust the
timezone accordingly in your general settings.
Why don't I ever see the Hubble Space
Telescope?
You might not live in the right place. Some satellites
are visible only from low latitudes due to their orbits.
The HST is one of these.
Why didn't the app show a satellite
flyby for my location that another website listed?
Because we're smarter than they are. Our flyby prediction
software uses a minimum angle of transit elevation to make
sure the flyby is far enough above the horizon to be easily
visible. This minimizes the risk of going out and not
seeing anything.
Does the app show flybys when I am
not connected to the internet?
Yes. Once the flyby schedule is downloaded, it remains
on your phone and you don't have to be on the internet to
use it. However, you do have to be on the internet to download
the flybys initially and to update your schedule as time goes
by.
Do I have to input my location every
time I use the app?
No. Once you've input your location, the app stores it
for future updates. You can enter different locations
if you're planning to travel or want to look up flybys for
a friend.
When does the app update the flybys?
Every few days and/or when you enter a new zip code and/or
when the satellites change. In other words,
almost constantly. The flybys schedule is never out
of date. Caveat: You have to be connected to the internet
to get flyby updates.
What if a new satellite shows up?
The app will update itself when new satellites are added.
Why are magnitudes brighter for lower
numbers?
That's Astronomy for ya!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_magnitude
|