Guides to the night sky
Orbit works out when the International Space Station will cross your sky. These guides explain the sky behind those numbers: why passes come when they do, and where to look.
- · 5 min readA live sky wallpaper for Mac that follows your citySee Orbit's Mac sky wallpaper in action: choose a city, preview an ISS pass, open the menu bar briefing and understand what the desktop does between updates.
- · 5 min readA quick tour of Orbit on Android, and where to go after itWatch Orbit's real Android demo, then learn where to find the ISS, explore planets in 3D, move through time and check a rocket launch before heading outside.
- · 10 min readDoes live wallpaper drain battery on a MacBook?A video wallpaper works on every frame it plays. Mine draws one picture of the sky a minute. Measured CPU and memory, and how to check any app yourself.
- · 7 min readDynamic wallpaper not changing on your Mac? 8 things to check, in orderMac dynamic wallpaper not changing or moving? Set the menu to Dynamic, then check Location Services, your time zone and Appearance, on Tahoe and macOS 27.
- · 9 min readEarliest sunset of the year 2026, and why it comes before the shortest dayEarliest sunset of the year 2026: 4:28 PM on 7 December in New York, 3:51 PM on 12 December in London, and why it falls before the year's shortest day.
- · 9 min readFree night sky wallpapers for Mac: eight 5K skies, from Orion to a supermoonFree night sky wallpapers for Mac and MacBook in 5K, each a real sky on a real date: Orion over New York, a supermoon, the Southern Cross and the ISS.
- · 11 min readGeminids 2026: the best night to watch, and when the Moon sets in 13 citiesThe Geminids peak on 14 December 2026 at 14:00 UT (7:30 PM in India) under a crescent Moon that sets early. The best night and moonset times for 13 cities.
- · 9 min readHow do I know if I saw the ISS? Eight signs, and how to look up the passHow to know if you saw the ISS: a steady light, no blinking, a few minutes to cross. How to look up the pass, and rule out planes, Starlink and Tiangong.
- · 11 min readHow my first Mac app got through App Review, Guideline 2.1 letter and allApple sent my first Mac app a Guideline 2.1 Information Needed letter. I answered the same day with a screen recording; it was approved five days later.
- · 12 min readHow my Mac live wallpaper idles at 0.04% CPUMy live wallpaper idles at 0.04% CPU on a Mac. How it draws one picture of the sky a minute, stops when you can't see it, and what ate its memory instead.
- · 10 min readHow to find Orion and its belt, with times for 13 citiesHow to find Orion: its belt is three stars in a short, straight row, low in the east on November evenings. Times for 13 cities, and why Australia flips it.
- · 8 min readHow to find the North Star, and how high Polaris sits over your cityFind the North Star from the Big Dipper or Cassiopeia's W. It stands about as high as your latitude: 52° in London, 41° in New York, 13° in Bengaluru.
- · 13 min readHow to get a live wallpaper on a Mac: what moves, and what it costsHow to get a live wallpaper on a Mac, free or paid: Apple's aerials, video apps, Plash for GIFs and the real sky over your city, with what each one costs.
- · 7 min readHow to get a live wallpaper on a MacBook Neo without eating its 8 GBYes, a MacBook Neo can run a live wallpaper. Which kinds go easy on its 8 GB, the free ones Apple ships, the 2408 by 1506 size, and what my app weighs.
- · 10 min readHow to get ISS pass alerts on a Mac, now that NASA's space station emails are goneNASA stopped Spot the Station's email and text alerts on 12 June 2025. Here's how to get ISS pass alerts now, on your phone or right on your Mac's desktop.
- · 9 min readHow to put the Moon phase in your Mac menu bar (or a widget)Six apps put the Moon phase in a Mac or MacBook menu bar, from free to $6.99. Also: how to add a Moon widget, what Weather shows, and 2026's full moons.
- · 9 min readHow to see the ISS from India: when, which way to face and how high to lookThe ISS shows up over India in short runs at dawn and dusk. How to get the times for your city, which way to face, how high to look and why cities differ.
- · 9 min readIs the ISS coming down? Yes, on purpose, after it retires in 2030Yes, the ISS is coming down, on purpose: NASA plans to retire it in 2030 and sink it in the South Pacific. Why it can't stay up, and how to see it first.
- · 10 min readLeonid meteor shower 2026: the best night and hours to watch, city by cityThe Leonid meteor shower peaks on 17 to 18 November 2026. The half Moon sets near midnight, so the hours before dawn are dark. Best times for 10 cities.
- · 10 min readLiving with the real night sky as my Mac wallpaperMy Mac's wallpaper is the real night sky over the city I pick, redrawn every minute. What living with it is like, and why Bengaluru sees more sky than LA.
- · 9 min readMac apps without a subscription: 14 you can buy onceMac apps without a subscription: 14 you can buy once in 2026, from Magnet at $4.99 to BBEdit at $59.99, with update terms where the seller states them.
- · 10 min readMars and Jupiter conjunction, November 2026: what time to look in your cityMars and Jupiter conjunction: 1.2 degrees apart before dawn, 15 and 16 November 2026. Times for New York, London, Bengaluru and Sydney, and which is which.
- · 10 min readQuadrantid meteor shower 2027: when to look in 16 cities, India includedThe Quadrantids peak on 4 January 2027 at 03:25 UT, for only a few hours, under a thin crescent Moon. When and where to look in 16 cities, India included.
- · 9 min readSupermoons in November and December 2026: the Beaver Moon and the Cold MoonTwo supermoons end 2026: the Beaver Moon on 24 November and the Cold Moon on 23 to 24 December, the year's closest full Moon. Moonrise times for 8 cities.
- · 9 min readThe best astronomy apps for Mac in 2026, and which ones are iPad appsThe best astronomy apps for Mac in October 2026: Stellarium, Night Sky, SkySafari, Starry Night 8 and more, with US prices and which ones are iPad apps.
- · 10 min readWhat is the bright star in the east before sunrise? Late 2026, date by dateThe bright star in the east before sunrise is Jupiter, then Venus from early November 2026. Where to look and how high, for New York, London and Bengaluru.
- · 9 min readWhy the ISS is only visible at dawn and duskWe wrote the code that decides when the ISS is visible. The three tests it runs, the geometry of Earth's shadow, and 30 days of real passes over Bengaluru.