This App Tells You When Satellites Are Watching You

There are hundreds of satellites in orbit. They keep us from getting lost and help us stay in touch; they give us a bird’s eye view of our planet; and they conduct valuable scientific research. They have also provided a spectacular amount of fuel for the paranoid among us, who worry that, at any moment, their actions could be being tracked.

For the truly concerned, there’s a new iPhone app, called SpyMeSat, that will alert you whenever a commercial imaging satellite is passing overhead.

Whether or not your actions are actually interesting enough to warrant spying, satellite-based imaging has definitely developed to the point where the idea that someone could be watching you is not totally insane. One satellite, called the GeoEye-1, has an imaging resolution of just 1.3 feet. And that’s just in the commercial sector. Actual spy satellites can probably pick up details that are as small as 2.5 inches across.

But the makers of SpyMeSat didn’t want to ruin national security, says Space, so only commercial satellites are tracked.

More from Smithsonian.com:

A U.S. Spy Agency’s Leftover, Hubble-Sized Satellite Could Be on Its Way to Mars

Colin Schultz | | READ MORE

Colin Schultz is a freelance science writer and editor based in Toronto, Canada. He blogs for Smart News and contributes to the American Geophysical Union. He has a B.Sc. in physical science and philosophy, and a M.A. in journalism.