Anyone who has seen the Pixar movie WALL-E remembers the scene as the lovable robot hero escapes Earth by stowing away on the outside of a spaceship. As the ship leaves the planet’s atmosphere, it bursts through an orbiting junkyard of satellites and space junk which encircle the planet.

This is actually not far from reality. You may be surprised to realize that there are actually thousands of satellites orbiting our planet at the moment. If our eyes were sharp enough, we could see dozens of satellites at any point in time, and thanks to a new layer from Italian developers G-maps, now we can.

With the new layer “Sat Tracker,” you can see where satellites are in the sky above you. Holding your phone up to the sky will reveal the locations of the satellites, which are pulled from the United States Strategic Command (USSSTRATCOM) database and updated every 5 minutes.

By tapping on a satellite you can view a wealth of information, including the identification number, country of origin, launch date, launch location and much more. You can also view detailed information from CelesTrak, as well as a map of the satellite’s trajectory over the planet.

The information provided in the layer is presented in a way that will fascinate the more scientific users while still being accessible to casual users. An experience like this truly works best in Augmented Reality. There is a difference between seeing satellites on a map and viewing them above you in the sky. Perhaps on a clear night, you can spot the satellites themselves hovering above us.

Layer: Sat Tracker
Location: Worldwide
Required: iPhone or Android device
More info: Sat Tracker by G-maps
Developer: G-maps

Augmented Reality is the medium for interactivity, animation and cool visuals. That’s how you get engagement and that’s what our new 4.0 release of the Layar Augmented Reality Browser for Android is focused on. Today we’ve announced the next wave of interactive Augmented Reality experiences.

In the spirit of sharing the new capabilities of this release, we’ve listed several amazing layers below. These layers show the new interaction and interface capabilities of the new release of the platform and the browser. A special thanks to the Layar Partner Network members who created these. You can update to the latest version through the Android Market and view the layers mentioned below (iPhone version will follow soon).

ARcade by HPSC 2010 is the 30th anniversary of the legendary PAC-MAN game is the inspiration of the ARcade game on Layar. In this game players run after blinky cubes in a retro-arcade decor. The line of cubes is generated for the player, who gets points for every cubes he goes through. Players must register to play and see leaderboards of the day and the week.

Direct link to open the game on your phone http://m.layar.com/open/arcade

Woomba by Superimpose and Hoppala The Woombas escaped! Circus director Zambarini needs your help to catch them again. But watch out for the Wookies who disguise as Woombas and try to get you. Score points by catching different game characters, leading you on a fun trail.

Direct link to open the game on your phone http://m.layar.com/open/woombamania

Other showcases:

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