Changelog

🎛️ Radar filters badge

• Active filters counter: The settings trigger on the radar now shows a badge with the number of applied filters (azimuth, elevation, visible only).

🌌 NASA Picture of the Day

• POD page: Added a dedicated /picture-of-the-day page that displays NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day — image, title, and explanation.
• Navigation: New “POD” link in the site header for quick access.

🛰️ Extended mode for nearby satellites

• API: The /api/v1/satellites/nearby endpoint now accepts a mode query parameter (basic or extended). Extended mode adds each satellite’s real-time geographic coordinates and orbital parameters to the response.

🛰️ New ISS endpoint

• API: Added /api/v1/satellites/iss — a dedicated endpoint that returns ISS satellite data along with its real-time geographic position.

🛰️ Orbital speed in nearby responses and radar cards

• API: The nearby satellites response now includes each satellite’s orbital speed in kilometers per hour.
• Radar: Satellite cards show orbital speed alongside azimuth, elevation, and range.

🛰️ New Satellites page

• Satellites list UI: Added a dedicated /satellites page showing all satellites in a compact data table.
• Search & sort: You can search satellites by NORAD ID or name and sort by any column (epoch, inclination, perigee, apogee, etc.).
• Copy to clipboard: Double-click on any cell to quickly copy its value.

🛰️ New API Endpoint

• GET /api/v1/satellites: New endpoint to retrieve complete list of all satellites in the database
• Returns satellite information including NORAD ID, name, TLE data, epoch, and orbital parameters

🔍 Satellite Filters

• Azimuth Range Filter: Filter satellites by compass direction range (0° to 360°)
• Elevation Threshold Filter: Set minimum elevation angle above horizon (10° to 90°)
• Visible Only Filter: Show only potentially visible satellites

🎯 Satellite Hover Tooltip

✨ New Features

• Satellite Information Tooltips: Hover over any satellite on the radar to see which specific satellite it is.

🛰️ Interactive Satellite Selection

✨ New Features

• Satellite Highlighting: Users can now click on satellite cards or directly on the radar to highlight specific satellites
• Synchronized Selection: Selected satellites are highlighted in both the card view and radar view simultaneously
• Toggle Selection: Clicking on an already selected satellite will deselect it
• Quick Deselect: Press ESC key to clear the current selection
• Visual Feedback: Selected satellites are clearly highlighted with enhanced visual indicators

🛰️ Enhanced Satellite Information Display

✨ New Features

• Local Time Icon: Shows the observer’s current time of day (day or night) to provide instant context for observing conditions.
• Satellite Illumination Icon: Indicates whether the satellite is sunlit or in Earth’s shadow, a key factor for visibility.

🛰️ Enhanced Satellite Information Display

✨ New Features

• Smart Visibility Detection: Now shows which satellites are actually visible by considering their position above the horizon, whether they’re in sunlight, and current lighting conditions at your location

🛰️ Enhanced Satellite Information Display

✨ New Features

• Range Field: Added distance measurement from observer to spacecraft (displayed in kilometers)
• Velocity Field: Added spacecraft velocity information (displayed in km/s)

🛰️ Technical improvements and bug fixes

🛰️ Space Station Group Objects

Added support for space station group objects.

🌟 Welcome to the Space Community!

We’re excited to launch Zenith API - a platform designed to bring satellite tracking to everyone. Whether you’re a developer, researcher, educator, or space enthusiast, Zenith API provides the tools you need to explore Earth’s orbital environment.

Who are we building for?

For Developers: A clean, well-documented API that makes satellite data accessible

For Educators: Tools to inspire the next generation of space explorers

For Researchers: Reliable data for scientific projects and analysis

For Enthusiasts: Easy access to track satellites and the ISS