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Home Academy Reading the Globe What you're looking at (the Orbital Radar globe)
LESSON 01 OF 6

What you're looking at (the Orbital Radar globe)

Beginner ~7 min Slide deck Free

Orbital Radar's 3D globe shows the positions of thousands of tracked objects in real time, computed from the latest orbital data (TLEs). Every dot is a real spacecraft, rocket body, or piece of debris.

Orbital Radar's 3D globe shows the positions of thousands of tracked objects in real time, computed from the latest orbital data (TLEs). Every dot is a real spacecraft, rocket body, or piece of debris.

What this lesson covers

The Globe vs the Map

Orbital Radar gives you two views of the same reality — each answers different questions.

What's Actually Up There

Most of what you see is in low Earth orbit (LEO) — below 2,000 km. The thin ring of dots at ~36,000 km is the geostationary belt, where communications and weather satellites hover over fixed points.

Where the Data Comes From

The positions you see are computed predictions, not live GPS feeds. Here's how it works.

Your First Interactions

The globe is fully interactive — here are the basics to get oriented.

Key facts

💡The globe shows where objects actually are. The map shows where they appear to pass over the ground.
💡You're seeing physics-based predictions from the latest radar data — not raw GPS.
Every dot is real. Every position is computed from physics. The globe is your window into what's actually orbiting Earth right now.

In the next lessons, you'll learn how to read the color coding, interpret the data panel, and use filters to find exactly what you're looking for.

All lessons in Reading the Globe
01What you're looking at (the Orbital Radar globe)~7 min02Object types and color coding~7 min03Clicking an object: the data panel explained~8 min04Filters: finding what you want~7 min05Time controls and prediction~8 min06Pass predictions: how to use them~8 min
All 6 LessonsObject types and color coding →
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