The only problem is that it only allows a 30 day evaluation. After that it stops functioning

Note: This program is no longer under development.

ObsReduce supports all three reporting formats in common use: IOD, UK and RDE (Russell Eberst's abbreviated form of the UK format.) All R.A. and Dec formats and epochs are supported, as are visual magnitude and optical period reporting.

Also supports three observational geometries: satellite in-line with reference stars, satellite forming right-angled triangle with reference stars, and appulses (satellite passing near a single star).

Several star databases, derived from the Tycho 2 catalogue, are available for ObsReduce. The complete set of Tycho 2 stars is also available, consisting of more than 2.5 million stars to about magnitude 13. The program enables the addition of stars missing from the database, as well as coordinates of planets and asteroids.

To aid in finding and confirming reference stars used in observations, ObsReduce has the ability to display predicted satellite tracks computed using the SGP4 and SDP4 orbital models. It also displays the difference between the satellite's predicted and observed time and track, and can compensate for Earth's rotation in the interim, to produce accurate plots of satellite tracks.

The program is written to be run as a background task while you are running other programs in your PC or doing odd jobs.

If you specify it, when a satellite is approaching, a sound alarm will be sent. The program will be restored on screen if it was reduced in the task bar and the name of the approaching satellite will blink yellow for a quick view.

As soon as a satellite is visible, the name of the satellite blinks green; an alarm is optionally sent and the program window is restored on screen if it was reduced in the task bar.

When a satellite disappears, its next visibility is immediately computed and monitoring restarts for this new visibility.

For each of the monitored satellites, SAT_EXPLORER provides a detailed description of the next or current visibility, minute by minute: elevation, azimuth, range, altitude, position, phase and Doppler shift. You can choose to monitor a further visibility if the next one is unusable because of a too low or to short visibility.

- pass prediction results are presented in four modes: text/tabular, two local sky simulation modes, «satellite over an Earth map» mode;

- able to syncronize the PC clock with NTP servers over the Internet;

- able to self-update the TLE files;

- very easy to use and handle (especially for beginners);

- it is principally made for visual observing (namely for the ISS with a magnitude up to -1).

It can extract elements from practically any DOS Text file (UNIX files will be detected and a "fix" routine will ask for permission to convert to DOS format). You can drag an element file from the Desktop. You can open your web browser or email program or any text source of elements and cut and paste elements from those sources to the program.

Element Manager can manipulate elements in a number of ways. Selections to limit the number of active satellites based on the age, decay, inclination, eccentricity, mean motion, apogee, perigee, argument of perigee, right ascension of ascending node, International Launch Designation, common name, visual magnitude and radar cross section are possible

The program can make selections or exclusions by NORAD number. You can create multiple select files containing lists of satellites you are either interested in or wish to ignore.

Features include the computation of Iridium Flares, the calculation of the transit of satellites across the Sun and Moon globes etc, etc...