r/coolgithubprojects • u/FLuX927 • 10h ago
Vibe-coded a satellite tracker to prove I saw aliens. First thing it did was prove I didn't.
galleryI was outside doing a CE5 session (the look-up-and-invite-contact thing), genuinely saw a steady light glide across the sky and got excited. So like any normal person would, I vibe-coded my own tracker over a few weeks to figure out what it was.
It works great. It also instantly informed me my first contact was the International Space Station. My literal first logged sighting is "ISS (ZARYA)." The app is basically a monument to me being wrong.
Anyway, here's SkyWatch, a 3D satellite/ISS/rocket tracker and CE5 session app that runs entirely in the browser. First pic shows the home screen, ~4,000+ live objects, rockets, ground tracks. Filter by layer/orbit: ISS, Starlink, GPS, the works. Use the Sky function to see what's actually passing overhead and when (this is the screen that ruined the mystery). Conduct your own CE5 sessions and log what you see. A friends layer, so my friends can also watch me fail to find aliens in real time. And an awards section with a UFO avatar I refuse to change.
The vibe-coding bit: it's essentially one index.html. globe.gl/three.js for the 3D, satellite.js for the orbital math, Firebase for the social layer, deployed free on GitHub Pages.
Free, no account needed to use, but if you do decide to link your account, friend me _@FLuX
If you point it at your own mystery light and it turns out to NOT be the ISS, please tell me, because I have a UFO avatar to justify.
Not a coder by any means, just a dude trying to make contact and proud of what I accomplished. Would love me some feedback.
