Satellite Tracker by Star Walk vs PhosphorOrbit

Observe the International Space Station in the sky above you and find out where human-made satellites are right now with SATELLITE TRACKER by STAR WALK! MAIN FEATURES - Real-time satellite tracking - The most outstanding satellites - Satellite flyby timer & pass predictions - Hand-picked passes & customizable location - Fly-with-satellite view - Satellite orbit over Earth Enjoy the easy and comfortable real-time satellite tracking with SATELLITE TRACKER! ► Select a satellite from the list and see its current location in the sky in real-time or track satellite live orbiting Earth. You can track the most famous and brightest satellites, SpaceX’s Stalinks, communications and weather forecasting satellites, and much more! ► At the top of the main screen, the flyby timer counts the amount of time left until the next flyby of the selected satellite over your location. Tap the down arrow to open the list of passes that will be visible from your location in the nearest future. ► Get precise predictions when satellites are visible in the sky above your location. The list of passes allows you to set any alert (one or more) for the satellite's pass that you’d like to witness. Switch between the app’s modes (Globe view, Satellite View, and Sky view) by tapping the round icons at the bottom of the screen. -> Choose Satellite View to enjoy the 3D image of a satellite flying over Earth with the real speed and location. -> Globe view allows you to see a satellite’s trajectory around the Earth's 3D model and on the Earth’s map. -> Find the satellites in the sky by following the arrow pointer with the Sky View mode. The app contains ads. The ISS is available by default. With SATELLITES LIVE subscription, you get an instant ad-free access to tracking satellites live orbiting over Earth and in the sky, the timer for the next appearance, and alerts about the nearest flybys. SATELLITES LIVE is a renewable subscription with a 1-week FREE trial that gives you access to content from within the app on an ongoing basis. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account. At the end of each subscription duration (1 month), the subscription will automatically renew until you choose to cancel it, and your account will be charged for renewal 24 hours before the end of the current period. Users can manage their subscriptions in their account settings on the App Store. Privacy policy: https://vitotechnology.com/privacy-policy.html Terms of use: https://vitotechnology.com/terms-of-use.html Never miss satellites passing by in the sky with SATELLITE TRACKER!

PhosphorOrbit transforms your iPhone into a Cold War-era space surveillance terminal. Built around a real-time polar radar scope, it tracks every catalogued object in Earth orbit using official NORAD data from CelesTrak and the US Space Force 18th Space Defense Squadron. The app renders satellite positions on an azimuth/elevation polar projection centred on your location. The International Space Station, Starlink constellations, dead Soviet-era satellites, Chinese rocket body debris — everything currently overhead appears as a phosphor blip on your personal radar scope, updating every few seconds via SGP4 orbital propagation. RADAR SCOPE The primary display is a full-screen polar radar showing all tracked objects above your horizon. Pinch to zoom up to 6x magnification and drag to pan across crowded orbital shells. Objects are classified by type — space stations, active payloads, Starlink satellites, rocket bodies, and debris — each with distinct glyphs and colour coding. Tap any object for detailed orbital data including altitude, velocity, azimuth, elevation, and range. Filter by classification to focus on what matters. PASS PREDICTIONS A comprehensive pass predictor computes upcoming visible satellite passes for your location over the next 24 hours. Passes are grouped by date with estimated apparent magnitude, maximum elevation, and visibility status. Tap any pass to open a detail view featuring a sky track polar diagram — a mini radar plot showing exactly where the satellite will travel across the sky from rise to set, with compass bearings at every point. If a pass is currently in progress, a live tracking dot shows the satellite's real-time position on the arc. GROUND TRACK A Mercator projection displays the selected satellite's ground track with past and future orbit traces, the day/night terminator line, and your observer position with its visibility circle. ORBITAL DENSITY A shell histogram visualises object density by altitude band, colour-coded by type. See at a glance where the most congested orbital shells are — the 550km Starlink band, the sun-synchronous corridors around 800km, and the debris-choked zones in between. KESSLER DASHBOARD The existential dread panel. Tracks total catalogued objects, the debris-to-payload ratio, spatial density in critical altitude bands, and a composite Kessler Index illustrating how close major orbital shells are to runaway debris cascading. Includes a timeline of major debris-generating events and current Starlink collision avoidance manoeuvre rates. OFFLINE RESILIENCE TLE orbital data is cached locally. When connectivity drops, the app continues operating from cached data — SGP4 propagation remains accurate for days. A live network monitor detects reconnection and automatically refreshes data. Clear indicators show data source status at all times. CRT AESTHETIC PhosphorOrbit is part of the Phosphor suite of apps sharing a signature retro display aesthetic. Choose from phosphor green, amber, or white colour themes. Metal shader scanlines, phosphor glow effects, and monospace typography complete the look — SHADO's Space Intruder Detector from UFO (1970), except real, running on your iPhone. All orbital data is freely available from CelesTrak. No account or subscription required. Position calculations use SGP4/SDP4 — the same propagation model used by space agencies worldwide.