Satellite Photos

The Satellite Photos Plugin is a component of the KeepTrack application that provides functionality for viewing live satellite imagery and Earth photos from various spacecraft.

Features

• Display live photos from select geostationary weather satellites
• View Earth images captured by the DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) satellite
• Integrate satellite imagery with KeepTrack’s satellite tracking capabilities
• Open images in a lightbox view for detailed examination

User Interface

The plugin adds the following UI elements:

1. A “Satellite Photos” icon in the bottom menu for quick access
2. A side menu with a list of available satellite imagery sources
3. Dynamic addition of DSCOVR image options based on available data

Satellite Imagery Sources

The plugin provides access to images from the following satellites:

• MeteoSat 9
• MeteoSat 11
• Himawari 8
• GOES 16
• GOES 18
• DSCOVR (multiple images)

Note

The availability of DSCOVR images is determined dynamically by querying the NASA EPIC API. If the API is unavailable, a message will be displayed in the menu.

Usage

Viewing Satellite Imagery

1. Click the “Satellite Photos” icon in the bottom menu
2. Select a satellite or image source from the side menu list
3. The corresponding satellite will be selected in the main view (if applicable)
4. The image will open in a lightbox view for detailed examination

Tip

For DSCOVR images, the main view will automatically adjust to center on the coordinates of the selected image.

Himawari 8 Specific Functionality

1. Select “Himawari 8” from the menu
2. The plugin will load an image based on the current simulation time
3. If the simulation time is in the future, it will load the most recent available image

Note

The Himawari 8 functionality includes a 30-minute offset to ensure image availability. This may result in a slight mismatch between the simulation time and the displayed image.

Integration with KeepTrack

The Satellite Photos Plugin integrates with several KeepTrack components:

• SelectSatManager: Selects the corresponding satellite when an image is viewed
• MainCamera: Adjusts the camera view for optimal image viewing
• TimeManager: Used for time-based image selection (Himawari 8)
• UiManager: Handles UI updates and notifications

Development

When extending or modifying the Satellite Photos Plugin, consider the following:

• The plugin follows the KeepTrackPlugin architecture
• It uses XMLHttpRequest to fetch DSCOVR image data from the NASA EPIC API
• The colorbox function is used to display images in a lightbox view

Note

When adding new satellite image sources, ensure to update both the side menu HTML and add corresponding event listeners in the addJs method.

Code Configuration

The plugin supports the following configuration options:

• bottomIconElementName: ID for the bottom menu icon element
• bottomIconLabel: Label for the bottom menu icon
• bottomIconImg: Image source for the bottom menu icon
• sideMenuElementName: ID for the side menu element
• sideMenuElementHtml: HTML content for the side menu

Troubleshooting

• If DSCOVR images are not loading, check the browser console for API request errors
• Ensure that the required KeepTrack components (SelectSatManager, MainCamera, etc.) are properly initialized
• For issues with specific satellite images, verify the image URLs in the loadPic method calls

Note

The plugin includes a note about potential discrepancies between the selected satellite in KeepTrack and the displayed image due to changes in the image API. Keep this in mind when troubleshooting unexpected behavior.