gistlib - plot the ground track of the international space station in python

To plot the ground track of the International Space Station (ISS) in Python, we can utilize NASA's Open APIs that provide live data on the current position of the ISS. We will also need to use some astronomy libraries and visualization tools.

Install the necessary libraries:


main.py
pip install skyfield numpy matplotlib requests
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Import the necessary modules:


main.py
import numpy as np
from skyfield.api import Topos, load, EarthSatellite
import requests
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
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Use the NASA's API to retrieve the current position of the ISS:


main.py
url = 'http://api.open-notify.org/iss-now.json'
response = requests.get(url)
data = response.json()
latitude = float(data['iss_position']['latitude'])
longitude = float(data['iss_position']['longitude'])
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Load the necessary astronomical datasets:


main.py
ts = load.timescale()
planets = load('de421.bsp')
earth = planets['earth']
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Define a function that converts the latitude and longitude to a Skyfield Topos object:


main.py
def get_topos(latitude, longitude):
    return earth + Topos(latitude_degrees=latitude, longitude_degrees=longitude)
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Define a function that calculates the ISS's ground track for a given period of time:


main.py
def get_ground_track(topos, hours):
    t = ts.now()
    end_time = t.utc_datetime() + datetime.timedelta(hours=hours)
    times = ts.utc(t.utc_datetime(), end_time, 10)
    satellite = EarthSatellite(None, None, None, ts=ts)
    satellite = satellite.from_satellite_id('ISS')
    geometry = satellite.at(times).subpoint()
    latitudes, longitudes = [], []
    for i in range(len(geometry.latitude.degrees)):
        topos_lat = topos.latitude.radians
        topos_long = topos.longitude.radians
        latitude = geometry.latitude.degrees[i]
        longitude = (geometry.longitude.degrees[i] + 180) % 360 - 180
        if abs(topos_long - longitude) < np.pi:
            latitudes.append(latitude)
            longitudes.append(longitude)
        elif topos_long > 0:
            longitudes.append(longitude + 360)
            latitudes.append(latitude)
        else:
            longitudes.append(longitude - 360)
            latitudes.append(latitude)
    return latitudes, longitudes
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Use the get_ground_track function to calculate the ISS's ground track for a specified amount of time:


main.py
hours = 3
topos = get_topos(latitude, longitude)
latitudes, longitudes = get_ground_track(topos, hours)
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Plot the ground track using matplotlib:


main.py
plt.plot(longitudes, latitudes, 'r', linewidth=2)
plt.xlabel('Longitude (degrees)')
plt.ylabel('Latitude (degrees)')
plt.title('ISS Ground Track')
plt.grid(True)
plt.show()
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This should generate a plot of the ISS's ground track for the specified duration of time.

plot the ground track of the international space station in python

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